BOSS  BART,  POLITICIAN. 


A  WESTERN  STORY  OF  LOVE  AND  POLITICS. 


BY 

JOE  MITCHELL  CHAPPLE, 

AUTHOR  OF  "THE  MINOR  CHORD,"  ETC. 


NEW  YORK. 

F.  TKNNYSON  NEELY,  PUBLISHER. 
1896. 


-ps 

3506 


BOSS  BART,  POLITICIAN. 

A  Western  Story  of  Love  and  Politics. 

BY 
JOE  MITCHELL  CHAPPLE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Backward,  turn  backward, 
O,  Time,  in  your  flight. 

—Old  Song,  Allen. 

It  was  simply  Poplarville,  Iowa,  according  to  the 
United  States  postoffice  directory.  One  of  those  rare 
communities  which  can  scarcely  be  called  a  village,  and 
yet  pretended  to  be  something  more  than  a  mere  cross 
roads.  It  was  a  center  around  which  a  large  number 
of  eastern  people  and  a  colony  from  Indiana  had  set 
tled  in  an  early  day.  Quiet,  undisturbed  by  the  surg 
ing  and  speculative  fever  of  the  quarter  century 
succeeding  the  civil  war,  it  was  just  such  a  spot  as  to 
nurture  self-reliant  childhood  and  give  a  tinge  of  ro 
mantic  atmosphere  to  the  prosaic  career  of  an  Iowa 
farmer's  life.  In  fact,  it  represented  a  distinct  type  of 
western  farm  life. 

Two  roads  started  out  in  a  triangle  from  an  old  oak 
tree.  This  tree,  according  to  the  legends  of  that  sec- 


»><o*> 


6  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

tion,  was  a  historical  landmark  of  the  Black  Hawk 
war  and  was  supposed  to  mark  the  place  where  a  noted 
Indian  chieftain  fell.  Many  cities  of  the  West  are  said 
to  have  been  first  locateU  by  Indians  as  camping; 
grounds,  and  Poplarville  was  not  an  exception  to  the 
rule.  Beside  the  old  oak  was  its  brother,  a  fallen  tree 
that  had  been  converted  into  a  rustic  seat  for  loungers 
and  lovers.  A  well  and  water  trough  and  long  hitch 
ing  post,  a  small  clump  of  trees  on  the  bank  of  a  creek 
in  the  background,  completes  the  inventory  of  the 
landscape.  The  cobbler  shop  of  Jasper  Juniper  was 
located  on  one  side  and  the  cottage  of  Mary  Jane 
Toots  on  the  other,  and  these  were  the  only  in 
habited  buildings  close  to  this  historical  spot — but  a 
number  of  large  farm  houses,  barricaded  by  red  barns 
and  granaries,  were  close  at  hand.  The  very  odd  angle 
of  the  two  roads  widening  from  this  historical  hub 
made  it  a  distinctive  point  on  the  map  of  Iowa,  where 
rectangles,  and  only  rectangles,  marked  out  farms, 
townships  and  counties,  except  where  a  sluggish 
stream  or  lake  boundary  interfered.  And  rectangular 
conduct  was  the  reflection  of  the  Puritanic  spirit 
brought  from  the  East  by  the  early  settlers. 

These  two  roads  were  lined  on  either  side  by  tall 
poplar  trees;  there  were  also  rail  fences,  which  are  one 
of  the  chief  landmarks  of  the  industry  of  the  early 
pioneers,  for  rail-splitting  has  now  become  a  lost  art. 
The  real  Iowa  road  was  there — impassable  at  times, 
two  deep  ruts  on  either  side  that  suggested  a  subter 
ranean  railroad,  always  dusty  during  the  dry  months. 
The  road  was  boulevarded  on  either  side  by  smart 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  7 

weeds,  milk  weeds,  pig  weeds;  in  fact,  all  species  of 
weeds  known  to  botanists  and  characteristic  of  desert 
ed  and  swampy  places.  The  yellow  dust  from  the  road 
settled  in  clouds  upon  the  weeds  and  gave  some  variety 
of  color  to  the  landscape. 

But  it  was  not  so  much  the  surroundings  as  the 
people  that  distinguished  Poplarville  from  the  rest  of 
the  world.  There  seemed  to  be  a  grouping  of  pro 
nounced  characters,  a  mingling  of  light  and  shade, 
without  even  a  suspicion  of  real  villiany  on  the  sur 
face,  which  made  it  an  interesting  community  for  char 
acter  study. 

It  was  a  sort  of  composite  of  all  American  types. 

Poplarville  took  a  special  pride  in  its  schools,  and 
the  event  now  most  talked  of  was  'the  arrival  of  the 
new  school  teacher,  Miss  Agnes  Agnew,  and  her  ad 
vanced  ideas  on  ventilation. 

The  school  board  included  nearly  all  of  the  imme 
diate  residents  of  the  corner.  There  was  Judge  Tra- 
inour,  an  elegant  and  refined  gentleman  of  sixty,  who 
had  a  real  and  unselfish  interest  in  every  pupil;  Dr. 
Buzzer,  explosive  and  vigorous,  but  kind-hearted; 
Jasper  Juniper,  the  sage  cobbler,  who  proudly  emu 
lated  Hans  Sachs,  of  Nurnberg,  and  was  continually 
reading  Plutarch's  lives;  Abner  Tomer,  the  crusty  old 
bachelor  farmer,  who  held  mortgages  and  his  breath 
for  fear  of  wasting  it.  The  whole  community  seemed 
to  live  together  like  one  large  family,  with  just  enough 
differences,  now  and  then,  to  suggest  a  family  jar. 

The  new  teacher  had  ventured  to  organize  a  village 
lyceum,  and  the  selection  of  one  of  the  girls  as  presi- 


8  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

dent  came  very  near  causing  an  open  revolt  among 
the  older  boys,  led  by  Elbert  Ainsworth,  a  bright  and 
energetic  lad  of  seventeen. 

"We  will  not  submit  to  petticoat  rule,"  said  Elbert 
one  day  after  school,  and  his  companions  nodded  a 
mute  assent  as  the  teacher  was  passing  just  then. 
That  night  the  inherent  hazing  and  mob  spirit  pos 
sessed  the  boys,  and  tales  of  the  James  boys  and  the 
Younger  brothers  had  crept  into  the  village.  Two  of 
the  timid  ones  who  had  given  some  assistance  in  mak 
ing  feminine  rule  possible  were  given  a  bath  under  the 
old  pump  at  the  corners,  and  were  being  lustily 
bounced  in  a  blanket  when  Jasper  Juniper  appeared 
and  the  perpetrators  scattered.  The  next  day  there 
were  mysterious  conferences  among  the  pupils, 
and  Elbert  was  quite  the  hero  of  the  hour.  The 
event  had  quelled  the  spirit  of  a  timid  opposition, 
and  encouraged  a  mutiny  against  the  pretty  and  tired 
little  teacher. 

"Elbert  Ainsworth  will  remain  after  school  and  be 
punished  for  ungentlemanly  conduct,"  announced  the 
teacher  at  the  close  of  that  day's  session.  There  was 
a  muffled  rustle  of  surprise  in  the  school  room,  and 
Elbert's  pride  was  stung.  He  was  about  to  arise  and 
resent  it,  but  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  sparkling 
blue  eyes  of  the  teacher  and  saw  a  spirit  of  deter 
mination. 

"I  will  slay  and  have  some  fun  with  little  Miss 
Squipps,"  he  whispered  to  his  comrades  as  they  passed 
out  to  the  march  played  on  the  school  organ,  another 
one  of  those  "new  ideas." 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  9 

But  he  was  mistaken  in  Agnes  Agnevv,  the  teacher. 

Not  a  handsome  girl;  gentle,  flashing  blue  eyes,  a 
sweet  smile  and  delicate  face.  A  plucky  girl  of  eigh 
teen,  determined  to  make  her  way  in  the  world.  And 
there  was  one  thing  that  was  intuitively  felt  by  all  who 
met  her.  She  was  one  whose  character  or  personal 
ity  seemed  to  unfold  gently  at  every  emergency  as 
acquaintanceship  continued.  It  grew  upon  one  rather 
than  impressed  itself  by  any  specific  action. 

When  Elbert  and  the  teacher  were  left  alone,  there 
was  an  awkward  silence. 

"Elbert,  I  must  punish  you;  it  was  very  wrong  for 
you  to  treat  those  smaller  boys  in  that  way." 

"Whip  me  if  you  dare,"  he  uttered  defiantly.  "You 
will  regret  it." 

"I  do  regret  it  now,"  said  the  teacher,  taking  down 
the  whip.  "You  are  too  much  of  a  man,  too  bright aboy 
to  drift  into  evil  ways.  Elbert,  I  love  all  my  pupils, 

and  you  will  some  day  be  a  good  man.  I  had  a " 

tears  started  in  her  eyes,  "he  was  so  like  you — but 
now — he  is — dead,  and  I  feel  so — lonesome." 

This  seemed  to  touch  his  rebellious  heart,  and  El 
bert  started  toward  her  with  a  sudden  determination. 

"Well,  teacher,  whip  me,  do  your  best,  do  your  best. 
I  need  it,  and  I'll  never  trouble  you  further." 

"I  do  not  want  to  punish  the  penitent;  it  is " 

"You  must,"  broke  in  Elbert;  "now  give  it  to  me." 

She  still  hesitated,  with  the  whip  in  her  hand. 

"I  cannot,"  she  said,  breaking  into  tears  and  sink 
ing  into  a  chair.  "My  pupils  ought  to  be  ruled  by 
respect  instead  of  by  the  rod." 


10  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"Yes,  teacher,  but  when  respect  fails,  use  the  rod," 
said  Elbert,  coming  toward  her. 

"Never,  Elbert;  you  are  a  noble  boy,"  she  said, 
rising  and  dropping  the  whip.  "I  felt  it,  and  if  you 
only  knew  how  difficult  it  is  to  conduct  this  school, 
when  the  oldest  and  best  pupils  are  openly  rebellious, 
you  would  consider  my  feelings.  It  is  all  for  your  own 
good." 

"I  know  it,  and  I'll  see  that  you  are  not  troubled 
with  me  any  further.  Teacher,  you  are  plucky,  and 
you  have  made  me  want  to  be  somebody." 

"Elbert,  you  must  always  obey  the  instincts  of  true 
manhood.  Good-night." 

As  he  shook  her  hand  in  leaving,  he  repeated, 
"Teacher,  depend  on  me  hereafter,"  and  she  knew  he 
meant  it. 

When  alone  in  the  school  room  she  broke  into 
tears.  Her  life  seemed  such  a  hard  struggle,  and 
there  is  something  in  the  atmosphere  and  quiet  of  a 
school  room  after  a  day  of  trouble  and  worry  that 
leaves  a  tinge  of  sadness  in  the  heart  of  a  teacher. 

"Well,  it  is  all  for  Wesley,  and  I  must  keep  up." 

And  then  she  had  another  cry  for  a  few  minutes, 
and  that  seemed  to  clarify  the  atmosphere  of  her 
troubles. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  11 


CHAPTER    II. 

"  'Adieu!'  she  cried,  and  waved  her  lily  hand." 
Sweet  William's  Farewell  to  Black-Eyed  Susan.— Gay. 

Miss  Agnes  had  only  been  at  the  head  of  the  school 
a  short  time,  and  had  introduced  numerous  new  ideas. 
Rules  in  arithmetic  were  not  to  be  committed,  but 
stated  by  pupils  in  their  own  language;  physics  was 
taught  by  actual  experiments;  botany  was  studied  in 
open  fields,  with  just  enough  latitude  and  liberty  to 
give  it  zest.  A  library  of  ten  leather-bound  volumes 
of  Chambers'  Encyclopedia  adorned  one  corner  of 
the  school  room,  formerly  deserted  to  cobwebs.  The 
students  were  allowed  to  go  to  that  corner  during 
school  hours  without  asking  permission,  and  they 
were  beginning  to  distinguish  between  liberty  and 
license.  Each  recitation  assumed  the  form  of  a  lec 
ture.  There  had  been  some  progress  in  the  new 
order  of  things,  but  when  Miss  Agnes  insisted  upon 
ventilating  the  school  room,  it  occasioned  a  special 
meeting  of  the  school  board,  and  the  dismissal  of  the 
new  teacher  was  narrowly  averted. 

The  unfavorable  beginning  soon  developed  into  a 
measure  of  success.  She  had  won  the  hearts  of  nearly 
all  the  pupils.  The  parents  and  school  board  were  not 
so  easily  converted  to  the  breaking  away  from  the  old 
district  school  conventionalities.  But  her  pupils  idol 
ized  her  so  much  that  remonstrance  against  Agnes 


12  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

Agnew  and  her  ideas  was  futile.  The  lyccum  flour 
ished,  and  although  not  officered  by  the  boys,  the 
Friday  night  was  the  eventful  night  of  the  week.  El- 
bert  Ainsworth  then  belonged  to  the  class  which  was 
to  have  the  distinction  of  graduating  in  June.  They 
were  to  receive  the  first  diplomas  ever  granted  by  a 
Poplarville  school — another  of  Miss  Agnew's  new  de 
partures. 

A  few  months  prior  to  the  graduation,  Elbert's  fath 
er  died  suddenly  and  left  him  to  comfort  the  heart 
broken  mother.  It  was  a  hard  blow  to  him,  but  it 
seemed  to  be  that  particular  event  which  made  the  boy 
a  man.  He  now  faced  the  stern  realities  of  life.  After 
the  funeral  he  was  urged  by  his  mother  and  teacher 
to  continue  his  studies  and  graduate. 

"No,  I  must  make  my  way  in  the  world,"  he  replied 
with  spirit.  "Teacher,  this  short  year  of  school  life 
has  brought  me  to  a  realization  of  true  ambition.  You 
taught  me  to  think  and  gave  me  a  real  thirst  for  knowl 
edge." 

"Be  careful,  my  boy,  you  have  scarcely  begun,  and 
if  you  stay  here " 

"What!  Stay  and  rust  away  like  other  boys,  who 
are  nurtured  too  close  to  pleasant  homes?"  he  asked 
in  a  surprised  way.  "No,  1  must  plunge  into  the  world. 
It  is  hard  to  leave,  but  don't  worry,  mother,  you'll 
never  have  to  blush  for  me." 

A  "farewell  party"  was  given  him  by  his  school 
mates,  and  it  was  indeed  a  sad  parting — a  breaking 
of  the  home  ties.  The  evening's  merry-making  con- 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  13 

eluded  with  "Good-byes"  spoken  with  moistened  eyes. 
The  girls  all  admired  Elbert  as  a  hero. 

"What  will  we  do  with  the  old  cave,  Wildy?"  asked 
Sorghum  sadly. 

"Oh,  well,  some  one  else  will  join  you,  boys,"  re 
plied  Elbert  in  a  consoling  way.  But  Shandy  and 
Sorghum  looked  dubious.  The  cave  in  the  woods 
which  the  boys  had  made  a  mysterious  retreat  after 
the  fashion  indicated  in  a  species  of  forbidden  litera 
ture,  was  likely  to  be  deserted  after  the  Robin  Hood 
was  gone. 

One  of  the  last  adieus  by  any  of  the  party  was  that 
of  the  school  teacher. 

"Now,  Elbert,  be  a  man,  a  pure  man.  When  tempta 
tion  comes  think  of  your  mother  and — well — of  me. 
Your  old  school  teacher  will  always  remember  kindly 
her  manly  boys." 

"Yes,  Miss  Agnew,  I  may  not  be  great,  I  may  not  be 
rich,  but  I  will  be  a  man,"  said  Elbert. 

He  walked  home  with  her.  It  had  become  a  proud 
distinction  among  the  school  boys  to  be  Miss  Ag- 
new's  escort.  As  this  was  Elbert's  last  night  in  Pop- 
larville  he  was  accorded  the  honor.  Elbert  rather  en 
joyed  the  heroic  distinction  of  "leaving  home,"  and 
talked  to  the  teacher  of  his  great  ambitions  and  hopes. 

"Yes,  with  Abraham  Lincoln  and  the  examples  of 
our  other  great  men  to  give  us  hope  and  stimulate  us, 
there  is  no  limit,"  he  continued  enthusiastically. 

"Don't  build  your  castles  without  foundations,  and 
be  prepared  for  disappointments;  but,  Elbert,  be  true 
to  the  noblest  ideals  of  manhood.  Good-bye." 


14  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"Good-bye,  teacher;  I  will  win  the  spurs  yet." 

He  had  been  gone  but  a  few  minutes  when  Agnes, 
who  had  remained  sitting  on  the  porch,  took  out  a 
photograph,  and  was  looking  at  it  as  only  a  sweet 
heart  can  gaze  upon  the  likeness  of  her  absent  lover 
in  the  serene  moonlight,  when  Paulina  Cracovitz,  the 
gypsy  washerwoman,  appeared  bringing  the  week's 
washing.  Paulina  was  a  good-hearted  woman,  and 
although  she  would  leave  Poplarville  for  weeks  at  a 
time,  nothing  was  thought  of  her  mysterious  ways,  and 
she  seemed  to  prosper  in  her  work. 

"Good  evening,  Paulina;  the  washing  all  ready  so 
soon?  Now  you  will  want  to  see  a  picture  of  him," 
she  said  archly,  showing  her  the  picture  of  Wesley  and 
his  adopted  brother. 

"The  fraulein  will  pardon  me — but  the  gentleman 
— him  standing — the  gentleman  who  wear  the  hat — 
you  know  him,  perhaps?"  she  asked,  looking  startled 
as  she  gazed  at  the  picture. 

"Oh,  yes,  Paulina;  he  is  an  old  friend  of  mine." 

"Perhaps  from  the  city?  A  fiancee,  it  may  happen?" 
asked  Paulina,  her  black  eyes  snapping. 

"You  have  sharp  eyes,  Paulina." 

"Ah,  the  fraulein  will  not  wait  for  me,"  and  Agnes 
went  into  the  house  after  bidding  Paulina  a  kind  good 
night. 

The  moon  shown  down  clear  on  the  strange  wild 
face  of  Paulina  as  she  went  up  the  road. 

"And  he  thinks  he  escape?  Holy  Virgin!  never, 
never,"  she  kept  mumbling  to  herself  as  she  hurried 
along. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  15 

It  was  then  quite  late,  and  when  near  the  old  tree 
at  the  corner  she  saw  "Snakes"  sitting  on  the  doorstep 
of  the  cottage  of  Mary  Jane  Toots.  "Snakes"  was  a 
half-demented  girl  of  sixteen  who  had  been  placed  in 
Mary  Jane's  keeping  by  a  city  orphan's  association; 
she  was  harmless,  a  good  helper  in  the  housework  on 
the  farm,  but  almost  all  she  could  say  was  "Mother's 
dead — mother's  dead." 

She  was  mumbling  in  this  way  when  Paulina  came 
up. 

"Perhaps  the  idiot  girl;  she  know  a  thing — I  will 
break  him  in  des  little  hand,"  Paulina  said  aloud.  It 
startled  "Snakes,"  and  she  began: 

"Mother  gave  me  this;  mother's  dead;  they  killed 
her,"  she  said,  taking  a  small  package  out  of  her 
bosom  and  looking  at  it  in  a  vacant  way. 

"It  is  pretty,  pretty  package ;  give  it  me,"  said  Pau 
lina. 

"No,  no,  mother's  dead ;  mother  gave  it  me,"  moaned 
"Snakes,"  grasping  the  package  tight  to  her  breast. 

"Let  me  have  it?"  demanded  the  gypsy  woman,  who 
seemed  to  hypnotize  the  demented  girl  for  the  mo 
ment.  There  was  a  short  struggle  and  Paulina  ob 
tained  the  mysterious  parcel,  and  poor  "Snakes" 
could  only  keep  on  saying,  "Mother's  dead,  mother's 
dead."  Her  nightly  wails  were  so  familiar  that  it  did 
not  attract  any  especial  attention  nor  even  awaken 
Mary  Jane. 

When  Paulina  grasped  the  package  it  broke  open. 
On  the  ground  the  contents  lay  scattered  about;  some 
old  letters,  a  little  Bible,  and  a  faded  photograph.  The 


16  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

two  stood  staring  at  each  other  and  at  the  photograph 
on  the  ground  for  some  minutes. 

"It  is  he;  Holy  Virgin,  I  will  crush  him,"  said  the 
infuriated  gypsy,  taking  up  the  picture  and  tying  up 
the  bundle  for  "Snakes." 

"Mother's  dead,  mother's  dead,"  cried  the  half-wit 
ted  girl  piteously,  following  the  gypsy  washerwoman 
down  the  lane. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  IT 


CHAPTER  III. 
'Ah!     Don't  you  remember  the  school,  Ben  Bolt- 


— Thomas  Dunn  English. 

The  tranquil  life  in  communities  like  Poplarville 
makes  it  necessary  for  the  people  to  have  something  to 
talk  about  to  keep  them  from  altogether  stagnating. 
And  if  actual  events  do  not  occur  with  sufficient  regu 
larity,  busy  tongues  begin.  The  episodes  between 
Agnes  and  Paulina,  and  later  between  Paulina  and 
"Snakes,"  were  undoubtedly  never  related  by  any  one 
of  them;  but  there  seems  to  be  a  mysterious  way  of 
knowing  things  in  these  communities,  and  the  less 
actually  known  the  more  thoroughly  it  is  talked  about. 

Jasper  Juniper  put  down  a  pair  of  boots  he  had  been 
tapping  in  his  little  shop,  and  looking  over  his  spec 
tacles,  he  hailed  Shandy  Gaff  in  passing. 

"Shandy,  call  the  school  board."  This  summons 
meant  three  taps  on  the  old  bell  over  Jasper's  shop, 
that  did  service  for  fires,  funerals  and  frolics.  The 
neighborhood  was  naturally  all  ablaze  at  once  to 
know  the  reason  for  this  sudden  summons.  Mary 
Jane's  shutters  across  the  way  came  open  with  a  bang, 
and  she  at  once  prepared  to  go  to  the  old  pump  for 
water  and  incidentally  to  hear  the  ''doin's  of  the  school 
board."  Jasper  took  down  a  volume  of  Plutarch  from 
the  shelf  over  his  head  and  looked  out  through  the 
large  front  door  of  his  shop,  swung  open  to 


18  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

catch  the  May  breezes,  as  he  had  looked  upon 
Mary  Jane  for  twenty  years  past.  There  was  a 
sort  of  an  expression  "it  might  have  been"  passed  be 
tween  the  two,  but  the  reverie  and  pantomime  was 
broken  by  the  arrival  of  different  members  of  the 
school  board,  who  entered  Jasper's  shop  and  appro 
priated  the  various  stools  and  boxes  without  unneces 
sary  ceremony.  After  the  usual  confusion,  Judge 
Tramour,  in  his  calm  and  dignified  way,  called  the 
meeting  to  order. 

"Here,  Judge,  take  this  chair,"  said  Jasper,  get 
ting  up. 

"  Tears  as  if  Jasper  must  always  toady  to  the  judge. 
I  wouldn't  do  it,"  mumbled  Abner  Tomer  from  the 
corner. 

"Well,  gentlemen/'  continued  the  judge,  "this  meet 
ing  is  called  at  the  request  of  our  teacher,  who  com 
plains  of  the  bad  ventilation  of  the  school  house." 

"Oh,  I  didn't  know  it  was  ventilation  she  wanted 
—I  thought  it  was  pure  air — so'm  told,"  growled 
Abner. 

"Humph!  don't  know  the  difference,"  said  Shandy 
Gaff  just  outside  the  door. 

"Has  any  gentleman  any  suggestion  to  offer?"  in 
quired  the  judge. 

"Mr.  President,"  said  Dr.  Buzzer,  "I  am  inclined  to 
open  correspondence  with  an  association  of  improved 
plumbers  looking  to  any  offers." 

"I  say  stick  to  hum,"  broke  in  Abner.  "If  you 
want  more  air,  open  the  windows.  She  keeps  them 
shut,  so'm  told." 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  19 

"Abner,  you  are  always  behind  the  times,"  said  Jas 
per.  "Now,  Bacon  says  the  gray  matter  in  the 
brain " 

"I  don't  care  whether  bacon,  liver  or  lights  says 
it,"  broke  in  Abner. 

"Gentlemen,  you  are  wandering  away  from  the  sub 
ject,"  interposed  the  judge. 

"Well,  I  move  that  our  secretary  be  empowered  to 
consult  leading  authorities  on  ventilation.  They  know 
the  latest  improved  methods — always  said  so,"  said 
Dr.  Buzzer,  feeling  that  he  had  fully  settled  the  mat 
ter. 

Just  then  Mary  Jane  came  out  of  her  cottage  and 
stood  listening  to  the  discussion. 

"I  say  old  ways  suit  me,"  said  Mary  Jane  with 
emphasis.  "Open  the  windows  and  doors,  march  the 
children  around  three  times — shut  the  windows,  and 
there  you  are." 

"Judge,  I  say  give  the  teacher  her  own  way;  get 
what  she  wants;  you  see,  each  scholar  ought  to  have 
the  privilege  to  breathe  his  own  air  and  no  one  else's," 
piped  Shandy  through  the  door. 

"Shandy,  sit  down;  you  are  not  a  member  of  this 
board,"  said  Dr.  Buzzer,  taking  him  by  the  shoulder. 

'Got  more  sense  than  some  of  'em,"  commented 
Mary  Jane,  starting  for  another  pail  of  water. 

"I'd  like  to  go  to  school,  but  mother's  dead,  moth 
er's  dead,"  said  "Snakes,"  as  she  sat  on  the  doorstep 
shelling  peas. 

It  was  here  that  Farmer  Chatsworth  first  spoke. 
He  was  a  new-comer,  and  by  reason  of  having  rented 


20  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

Housle's  farm,  and  of  buying  Jordan's  four  forties  just 
south,  he  was  given  a  place  on  the  school  board;  but 
his  chief  distinction  was,  however,  in  being  the  father 
of  two  handsome  daughters,  Allie  and  Veo.  He  had 
removed  from  a  point  only  eight  miles  distant,  and 
yet  he  was  looked  upon  as  something  of  a  stranger. 

"Well,  gentlemen,  I  believe  in  improvements;  I 
vote  as  the  doctor  votes — I  must  go,  as  my  folks  are 
coming,  you  know,"  said  Chatsworth  cheerily. 

"So'm  told,"  punctured  Abner  with  a  sneer. 

"Jasper  just  read  them  the  law  from  Plutarch;  see 
how  the  ancient  Romans  managed  ventilation;  hu 
man  lungs  are  the  same  to-day  as  then,"  said  the  jolly 
farmer  as  he  left." 

"Always  said  so,"  chimed  in  Buzzer. 

"Roman  cranks  and  Iowa  cranks  line  up  pretty 
much  alike,"  gurgled  Shandy  outside. 

"Has  any  gentleman  any  resolution  to  offer?"  in 
quired  the  judge. 

"I  move  thai  ventilation  be  laid  under  the  table," 
snarled  Abner. 

"Is  there  a  second?"  inquired  the  judge,  waiting. 

There  was  nothing  but  silence. 

"Before  you  go  any  further,"  said  Jasper,  "I've  a 
letter  which  I  think  will  settle  the  business  for  the 
present — when  Plutarch " 

"Please  read  the  letter,  Jasper,"  interposed  the 
judge. 

'To  the  Honorable  Board  of  Education" — ahem 
— "I  hereby  resign  my  position  as  teacher  of  the  Pop- 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  21 

larville  school,  the  resignation  to  take  effect  immedi 
ately.  Signed,  Agnes  Agnew." 

The  announcement  came  like  a  thunderbolt  upon 
the  meeting. 

"Going  to  be  married,  by  gosh,"  said  Shandy,  jump 
ing  up. 

"Another  fool  going  to  yoke  up,"  said  Mary  Jane, 
dropping  a  pail  of  water. 

"And  mother's  dead,"  broke  in  "Snakes." 

"Should  lose  her  sometime — always  said  so,"  said 
the  doctor,  emphatically. 

"I  move  the  resignation  be  accepted,"  said  Jasper. 

"The  contract  runs  for  another  year,  so'm  told," 
objected  Abner. 

Just  then  Miss  Agnes  was  seen  coming  down  the 
road,  and  the  judge  hailed  her. 

"I  say,  Miss  Agnes,  can't  you  wait  another  year 
and  complete  your  contract?"  said  the  judge,  with  a 
gallant  and  courteous  bow. 

"Judge,  there  is  a  personal  reason  why  I  cannot 
do  so.  I  love  my  work,  but — there  is  a  reason — 

Judge — and  I'm  sure "  said  Agnes,  hesitatingly 

and  half  blushing.  But  it  did  not  take  long  for  each 
individual  member  of  the  board  to  surmise  the  secret. 

"Gentlemen,  if  there  are  no  objections,  Miss  Ag- 
new's  resignation  is  accepted,"  said  the  judge. 

"You  have  made  the  school  a  great  success,  always 
said  so,"  echoed  Dr.  Buzzer,  "and  we  hope  your  path 
way  will  be  strewn  with  good  deeds,  lovely  flowers, 
and  all  the  peace  and  happiness  any — well,  any  life  can 


22  BOSS    BART.    POLITICIAN. 

bring,"  continued  the  doctor,  with  a  profound  and 
courtly  bow,  imitating  the  gallantry  of  the  judge. 

The  school  board  meeting  adjourned  sine  die,  the 
stately  judge  escorting  the  pretty  school  teacher  up 
the  lane  to  the  Chatsworth  farm  house,  where  she  was 
stopping. 

Now  Poplarville  did  have  something  to  talk  about. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
"What  man  dares,  I  dare.' 


— Macbeth. 


It  was  a  favorite  pastime  for  the  judge,  Jasper  and 
Dr.  Buzzer  to  talk  over  old  days  and  new  problems  in 
the  old  cobbler  shop.  "We  transplant  the  bone  and 
sinew  of  the  city  from  the  country,"  was  the  verdict 
agreed  upon.  Abner  was  not  there  often,  as  he  did 
not  quite  fall  in  with  the  open  and  candid  method  of 
discussion,  and  somehow  the  finding  of  that  mysterious 
photograph  by  the  gypsy  washerwoman  had  come  to 
his  ears,  and  it  seemed  to  give  him  a  secret  satisfaction, 
as  he  went  about  with  the  expression  of  a  Modred. 

Elbert's  departure  for  Chicago  had  been  the  theme 
of  discussion  in  the  cobbler  shop,  and  grave  doubts 
were  expressed  by  the  Poplarville  triumvirate  as  to 
whether  a  scrupulously  honest  boy  like  Elbert  could 
gain  a  foothold  in  Chicago. 

"There's  such  a  thing  as  being  too  extremely  hon 
est,"  said  the  doctor  at  the  close  of  one  of  the  discus 
sions. 

"Yes,  but  the  heads  of  most  of  the  great  mercantile 
institutions  of  the  city  and  many  of  its  leading  profes 
sional  men  were  born  in  the  country.  They  have  lived 
close  to  the  soil,  and  have  that  spirit  of  self-reli 
ance  of  which  city  children  are  deprived.  Nearly 
every  country  boy  who  goes  to  the  city  to  make  a  place 


24  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

for  himself  knows  this  intuitively,  and  comes  well 
armed  with  a  fixed  purpose.  He  concentrates,  origin 
ates  and  succeeds — sometimes,"  said  the  judge,  watch 
ing  Jasper  giving  a  final  tap  to  a  shoe  before  throwing 
it  down. 

It  was  early  in  March  when  Elbert  arrived  in  Chi 
cago.  The  cold,  bleak  winds  swept  from  the  lake,  chill 
ing  to  the  marrow.  The  pavements,  checkered  with 
dark  pools  of  ice,  and  the  black  mud  gave  anything  but 
a  pleasant  tinge  to  Elbert's  first  impressions  of  the 
streets  of  Chicago.  The  trees  in  the  parks  seemed  so 
scattered  and  bare.  The  rush  and  rattle  of  traffic,  the 
apparently  heartless  struggle  on  the  crowded  streets, 
and  the  dull  weather  made  him  feel  the  first  real  pangs 
of  homesickness.  He  studied  the  newspapers  for  a 
situation  and  made  numerous  applications  to  the  ad 
dresses  indicated  for  employment  as  waiter,  porter, 
hostler,  elevator  boy,  etc.,  but  each  time  he  was  turned 
away  with  the  remark  that  they  wanted  experienced 
city  help. 

"Am  I  not  fit  for  something?"  he  thought  as  he 
passed  up  Dearborn  street  in  the  evening  at  six  o'clock, 
when  all  the  clerks  were  hurrying  homeward.  Into 
many  of  the  strange  faces  he  looked  as  if  expecting  to 
see  some  one  from  Poplarville.  There  were  some  who 
looked  like  Jasper,  the  judge,  or  the  doctor.  There 
was  one  that  looked  like  Shandy — but  it  was  not  he. 
He  wondered  if  they  all  had  happy  homes — and  moth 
ers.  v 

Hunting  for  a  cheap  boarding  house,  he  stopped  at  a 
nest  of  vice,  but  his  mother's  and  teacher's  words  rang 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  25 

in  his  ears,  and  he  would  scarcely  look  into  a  saloon 
as  he  rushed  by.  The  next  morning  and  the  next  he 
continued  his  search  for  work,  but  had  no  success.  A 
week  later  he  was  employed  in  carrying  bricks  on  an 
office  building  being  erected.  It  was  hard  work,  but 
he  was  busy  and  earning  money.  He  was  just  taking 
the  pressed  bricks  out  of  a  cart  when  he  heard  some 
one  hail  him. 

"Hello,  El,  bricks  without  straw;   well,  I  never!" 

It  was  Ned  Housle,  the  brother  of  Kittie  Housle, 
Elbert's  childhood  sweetheart.  His  pride  was  stung 
at  first,  but  he  replied,  "Yes,  it  is  better  than  buying 
gold  bricks." 

Ned  was  one  of  those  fast  young  men  who  had  often 
come  to  Chicago  using  his  father's  money  to  see  the 
sights,  and  he  \vas  regarded  as  quite  a  hero  in  Poplar- 
ville,  but  only  a  short  time  ago  he  had  lost  a  large 
amount  of  money  through  card  sharks." 

"Well,  you  won't  be  so  funny  after  awhile,  young 
man,"  continued  Ned.  "Come  around  to-night  and 
we'll  take  in  the  sights  by  gas-light" 

"Thank  you,  Ned,  but  I'll  have  to  sleep  to  hold  this 
situation." 

"All  right;  you're  a  trifle  green,  but  you'll  have  the 
rough  corners  smoothed  off  later." 

Ned  passed  on.  Elbert  was  so  glad  to  see  any  one 
from  home  that  he  carried  bricks  with  a  lighter  heart, 
even  if  it  was  only  Ned  Housle  whom  he  had  seen; 
but  that  Kittie's  brother  should  find  him  a  hod  carrier 
naturally  stung  his  boyish  pride. 

That  afternoon  he  dropped  a  hod  of  bricks ;  the  con- 


26  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

tractor  happened  to  be  inspecting  the  work  just  then, 

"Discharge  that  greenhorn,  Jim,"  he  said  to  the  fore 
man.  "He'll  be  dropping  bricks  on  some  one's  head 
yet  and  bring  us  a  damage  suit." 

Contractor  Bart  Waldie  was  a  little,  short  man, 
with  curly  hair  and  stubby  mustache.  His  black  eyes 
snapped,  and  it  was  evident  that  he  was  a  thorough 
organizer.  He  not  only  employed  superintendents, 
but  superintended  superintendents  and  watched  every 
detail  of  the  work. 

Elbert  was  discharged  as  an  incompetent  hod  carrier. 
Three  months  of  hunting  for  work,  with  only  an  occa 
sional  day  of  employment,  nearly  absorbed  his  earn 
ings,  and  he  conceived  the  idea  of  saving  what  little  he 
had  left  for  meals  by  sleeping  in  a  railway  station, where 
he  had  noticed  that  immigrants  remained  for  the  night 
on  their  way  west.  He  had  cuddled  up  on  a  hard  seat 
in  a  dark  corner,  slipping  himself  under  the  iron  arms, 
and  was  soon  sweetly  dreaming  of  his  mother  and 
home.  Later  on  a  policeman  shook  him. 

"Where  are  you  going,  young  man?" 

"To  sleep,  if  I  can,"  said  Elbert,  drowsily. 

"Well,  I  think  not,  sir;  come,  get  up;  you'll  have 
to  move  out  of  fliis." 

"But  I've  no  place  else  to  sleep." 

"That's  the  old  fake.  Well,  then,  come  to  the  sta 
tion." 

"The  police  station?"  said  Elbert,  now  thoroughly 
astonished  and  awakened.  "I've  done  nothing,  and 
you  can't  take  me." 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  27- 

"I  can't;  well,  I'll  show  you,  honey.  Come  along, 
and  no  talk  back." 

"I  won't  do  it." 

"Yes,  you  will." 

At  that  he  motioned  as  if  to  strike  Elbert  with  his 
club.  Elbert  struck  back  and  they  clinched.  An 
other  policeman  arrived  and  they  soon  had  Elbert  on 
the  way  to  the  station.  As  they  passed  the  great  mas 
sive  buildings,  Elbert  wondered  if  these  were  really  the 
habitations  of  human  beings.  Was  there  no  place 
for  a  wanderer  except  in  jail?  These  were  Elbert's 
bitter  thoughts  as  he  was  hurried  along. 

In  jail!  What  would  his  mother  think!  What  would 
his  teacher  think!  And  how  could  he  explain  it?  As 
he  mingled  with  the  motley  crowd  of  vagabonds  Elbert 
felt  that  the  world  was  entirely  wrong.  His  reflections 
were  such  as  lead  to  anarchy  as  the  only  possible  solu 
tion.  Whose  wealth  is  all  this?  Who  has  the  right  to 
invoke  law  and  punish  the  homeless  for  the  crime  of 
poverty?  After  a  quiet  cry  his  bitterness  subsided. 
He  was  now  facing  the  stern  realities  of  life.  How 
happy  those  boys  at  home  after  all,  even  if  they  were 
only  drifting  along  in  an  aimless  and  useless  existence, 
lounging  on  dry  goods  boxes  and  along  sunny  sides  of 
street  corners. 

The  next  morning  was  a  bright  and  beautiful  day 
in  early  June.  He  recalled  the  fact  that  this  was  the 
day  he  would  have  graduated  from  the  village  school 
with  flowers  and  a  diploma.  The  odor  of  the  station 
was  stifling,  and  he  felt  a  relief  as  he  was  brought  into 
the  court  room  before  the  justice. 


28  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"My  boy,"  said  the  judge,  "you  are  charged  with 
resisting  an  officer.  Are  you  guilty?'' 

"I  resisted  him  because  he  struck  me." 

"Go  on  with  you,  that's  a "  broke  in  Officer 

Flaherty. 

"Silence!  I'm  hearing  this  case,"  interjected  the 
court. 

"Were  you  drunk  or  disorderly?"  he  continued. 

"No,  sir;  I  was  only  trying  to  sleep,  and — and — 
what  will  mother  think?"  he  said,  with  moistened 
eyes. 

"The  old  gag  again,"  chimed  in  the  policeman. 

"Will  you  be  quiet,  Flaherty,"  sternly  demanded  the 
judge.  "What  did  you  find  on  the  prisoner's  per 
son?" 

"Sixty  cents,  sir,  and  this  little  book." 

"My  mother's  Bible,"  broke  in  Elbert,  excitedly. 

"The  old  Bible  fake  again,"  mumbled  Flaherty. 

The  judge  looked  at  the  Bible,  read  the  inscription 
on  the  fly  leaf,  and  said:  "Discharge  the  prisoner  and 
erase  his  name  from  the  docket." 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 


CHAPTER  V. 

"Maetertcg  the  lawless  science  of  our  law, 
That  codeless  myriad  of  precedent, 
That  wilderness  of  single  instances." 

—Tennyson. 

Leaving  the  court  room,  Elbert  breathed  a  sigh  of 
relief,  and  yet  he  was  filled  with  bitter  thoughts,  and 
was  almost  tempted  to  give  up  the  struggle  to  gain 
a  foothold  in  Chicago  and  return  home.  At  the  post- 
office  he  found  a  letter  from  his  mother.  It  was  filled 
with  delightful  little  incidents  of  home  life.  "There  is 
no  one  here  to  help  me  with  my  work  as  you  used  to 
do,  but  everything  goes  on  all  right,  although  I  miss 
you  so  much.  By  the  way,"  concluded  the  letter, 
"Miss  Agnew  is  about  to  be  married,  and  will  live  at 

Wabash  Avenue,  and  she  said  you  must  call  and 

see  them.  She  has  inquired  often  about  you,  and 
said  that  the  graduation  class  did  not  seem  complete 
without  Elbert.  I  enclose  one  of  the  programmes.  Kit- 
tie  Housle  looked  very  sweet  in  her  new  graduation 
dress  and  quite  carried  off  the  honors.  There  is  lots 
more  news  I  would  like  to  tell  you,  but  be  a  good  boy 
and  write  often  to  mother." 

He  felt  there  was  a  rift  in  the  clouds  in  anticipating 
the  arrival  of  his  teacher  in  Chicago,  but  here  again 
pride  interposed.  His  clothes  were  not  such  as  to 
indicate  that  he  was  getting  on  very  well.  He  made 


30  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

another  attempt  to  secure  employment,  and  through 
the  kindly  interest  of  a  teacher  in  a  mission  Sunday 
school  he  was  given  the  position  of  assistant  janitor 
in  a  public  library.  His  patron  was  delighted  to  find 
him  a  few  days  later  apparently  absorbed  in  a  volume 
of  Shakespeare.  The  truth  must  be  confessed  that 
Elbert  managed  to  have  the  volume  conspicuously  in 
sight  as  his  patron  approached. 

"Good  reading  makes  good  men,"  said  his  patron, 
approvingly. 

The  position  was  the  turning  point  in  Elbert's  Chi 
cago  career.  The  story  of  Lincoln  studying  by  the 
light  of  pine  knots  inspired  him,  and  every  spare  mo 
ment  was  concentrated  upon  the  best  reading.  Once 
his  real  thirst  for  knowledge  was  known  he  found  plen 
ty  of  helpers,  and  his  identification  with  Sunday  school 

and  church  work  soon  made  him  feel  quite  at  home. 

********* 

He  became  so  absorbed  in  his  ambition  that  he  svas 
careless  about  writing  home,  and  had  almost  ceased 
thinking  of  his  old  school  teacher  and  her  expected 
arrival  in  Chicago.  Nearly  a  year  had  elapsed  since 
the  morning  his  mother  had  first  written  him  of  the 
marriage,  and  she  now  recalled  the  fact  by  giving  her 
name  as  Mrs.  Bartlett  Waldie,  Wabash  Avenue,  and 
saying  that  the  wedding  had  occurred  only  a  short  time 
before,  instead  of  a  year  previous,  as  he  had  supposed. 

He  found  the  house  one  of  those  convenient  and 
comfortable  homes  in  Chicago  in  a  district  or  locality 
almost  as  isolated  as  in  a  village.  The  routine  of  life 
consisted  of  a  visit  to  the  grocery,  meat  market,  and 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  31 

bakery  each  day,  an  occasional  call  for  cough  drops 
at  the  pharmacy,  a  trip  now  and  then  down  town;  the 
monotony  of  life  almost  as  fixed  as  that  of  the  country. 

Elbert  was  met  at  the  door,  as  he  walked  up  the 
polished  front  steps,  by  the  contractor  who  had  dis 
charged  him  as  an  incompetent  hod  carrier;  but  for 
tunately,  as  he  thought,  Mr.  Waldie  apparently  did 
not  recognize  him. 

"Well,  Elbert,  how  are  those  spurs?"  said  Mrs.  Wal 
die,  after  she  introduced  her  husband.  Elbert  was 
enthusiastic  and  buoyant  in  his  hopes,  and  told  of  what 
he  had  been  studying  and  reading. 

"It's  all  due  to  your  teaching,"  he  said  to  Mrs.  Wal 
die,  with  his  city  acquired  bow. 

They  spent  a  delightful  evening.  Bart  Waldie  was 
quite  taken  with  Elbert  as  a  bright  and  energetic  young 
fellow,  and  from  that  on  he  had  a  standing  invitation 
to  spend  his  Sundays  at  the  Waldies,  and  the  influence 
of  that  home  life  was  of  great  moment  and  value  in 
determining  his  career. 

"Young  man,  you  ought  to  study  law,"  said  Waldie 
in  the  course  of  his  conversation  some  time  later. 

"But  how  can  I?  It  takes  money.  No  matter  how 
much  brains  and  ambition  a  young  man  may  have,  he 
cannot  put  that  up  as  collateral  at  Chicago  banks." 

"But  there  are  always  those  ready  to  help  deserving 
young  men." 

"Yes,  but  poor  relations  come  first,  and  it  is  only 
by  chance  that  deserving  young  men  are  known." 

"Well,  I  am  going  to  help  you,"  said  Bart,  reflec 
tively. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"How  can  I  ever  thank  you — 

"Don't  try  it  until  you  know  what  I  am  going  to  do." 

"If  it  is  only  a  chance  I  shall  never  forget  it." 

"Well,  Mrs.  Walclie  has  thought  perhaps  if  you  had 
an  opportunity  to  study  law  you  would  succeed.  You 
have  a  good  imagination,  I  should  judge,  from  the  fairy 
stories  you  have  been  telling  us.  Oh,  yes,  I  know  boys. 
Well,  Ainsworth,  I  have  faith  in  you." 

"You  are  very  kind,  sir,  and  I  shall  hope  to  merit 
your  confidence." 

"Xever  fear,  my  gospel  is  simple — always  stick  to 
your  friends." 

"Trust  me  for  that,  Mr.  Waldie,"  said  Elbert,  as  they 
shook  hands  warmly  and  parted. 

Waldie  had  just  begun  a  political  career  in  a  small 
way,  and  had  met  with  some  success.  He  liked  Elbert, 
and  saw  in  him  just  such  a  young  man  as  he  needed. 
At  the  last  election  Waldie  had  been  placed  in  charge 
of  a  ward  and  had  carried  it  for  his  party.  He  went 
at  it  systematically  and  scientifically,  and  the  fascina 
tion  of  politics  had  crept  upon  him,  as  he  had  just 
succeeded  through  political  influence  in  defeating  a 
rival  firm  in  bidding  on  a  large  contract.  In  fact,  he 
was  becoming  one  of  the  powers  at  the  City  Hall.  He 
was  a  clever  fellow,  and  every  voter  in  his  division  was 
known  to  him,  and,  being  a  contractor  and  practical 
workman,  "Bart"  was  a  favorite  with  the  workingmen, 
and  was  proudly  pointed  to  as  a  man  who  "stays  by  his 
friends."  Of  course  many  of  his  allies  were  saloon 
men,  but  Bart  had  held  aloof  from  them  to  some  extent 
in  personal  affairs. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  33 

"I  need  a  young  fire-alarm  talker,  and  Ains- 
worth  is  going  to  fill  the  bill,"  thought  Waldie,  and  he 
prided  himself  on  his  judgment  of  men. 

He  was  talking  over  his  determination  with  his  wife. 

''You  are  very  kind,  Bart,  and  he  is  a  noble  boy." 

"I  knew  it  would  please  yon,  my  dear,  and  we  must 
help  him.  I  like  young  fellows  with  that  kind  of  stuff 
in  them." 

That  night  Elbert  was  too  happy  to  sleep.  Visions 
of  Daniel  Webster  and  Sumner  came  before  him,  and 
he  arose  at  midnight  and  wrote  a  long  letter  to  his 
mother. 

"Waldie's  politics,"  he  told  her,  "are  different  from 
father's,  but  perhaps  parties  are  only  a  matter  of  taste 
after  all,  because  I  am  determined  to  enlist  under  the 
banner  of  my  new  found  friend."^ 

Elbert  began  his  law  studies  in  earnest.  With  Black- 
stone  and  Kent's  Commentaries,  occasional  night  lec 
tures  and  training  under  an  old  practitioner,  he  made 
good  progress.  It  was,  however,  a  hard  struggle.  The 
irksome  drudgery  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  literally 
tie  himself  to  his  chair  and  remain  at  his  tasks.  His 
student  days  were  not  marked  by  any  events  of  a  strik 
ing  nature,  no  theaters  nor  luxuries,  and  not  even  a 
visit  home. 

"Mother,  I  am  coming  home  when  I  can  hang  up 
my  shingle  as  a  lawyer,"  he  wrote  in  each  of  his  letters. 
And  when  he  walked  out  of  the  court  room  a  full- 
fledged  lawyer,  pinching  himself  vigorously  to  try  to 
realize  what  it  was  to  be  a  real  lawyer,  he  was  quite 
surprised  to  find  that  he  felt  no  different  than  usual. 


54  BOSS    BART.    POLITICIAN. 

He  looked  up  to  Bart  as  a  father,  and  no  longer  felt 
the  pangs  of  being  a  stranger  in  the  city.  Yes,  life 
seemed  to  open  with  bright  prospects  for  him,  and 
like  all  ambitious  young  men,  he  thought  more,  per 
haps,  of  a  sweet  little  face  at  the  old  home  than  he 
would  like  to  have  confessed. 


BOSS   BART,    POLITICIAN.  35 


CHAPTER  VI. 

"Thou  should'st  not  judge  fully  of  a  man's  life  before  he 
dieth,  whether  it  should  be  called  blessed  or  wretched." 

— Sophocles. 

To  a  picturesque  Indiana  village  Chalmers  Agnew 
came  with  his  bride  from  Kentucky  to  make  a  home 
and  to  start  in  life.  It  was  a  time  when  there  was  bit 
ter  strife  in  Hoosierdom  between  the  new  and  the  old 
order  of  things.  The  young  bride  came  with  silk 
dresses,  veils  and  gloves,  which  quite  shocked  the  com 
munity  in  their  intense  religious  beliefs,  and  their  ac 
tions  made  it  so  decidedly  uncomfortable  for  the  young 
wife  that  she  soon  gave  up  her  finery  and  became  "like 
one  of  us,  children  of  the  Lord."  The  first  Sunday  at 
the  little  chapel  at  Mount  Ariel  struck  terror  to  the 
heart  of  the  newcomer.  The  hymn, 

"I've  enlisted  for  the  war, 
And  will  fight  until  I  die," 

was  sung  in  an  intensely  realistic  manner,  and  one 
exhorting  missionary  induced  the  young  wife  to  put 
her  handsome  earrings  in  the  contribution  box,  to  be 
sold  to  help  the  heathen. 

As  time  went  on  they  adapted  themselves  to  the  new 
order  of  things,  but  the  husband  drifted  into  reading 
Tom  Paine's  books,  and  it  was  secretly  whispered 
about  the  village  that  he  possessed  a  set  of  Voltaire's 


36  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

works.  He  was  said  to  have  joined  an  infidel  society 
at  Indianapolis,  where  he  had  served  in  the  State  Leg 
islature. 

One  day  when  Agnes,  their  only  child,  was  about 
five  years  old,  Chalmers  Agnew  was  injured  while 
chopping  down  a  tree.  "A  visitation  of  the  Lord"  was 
the  general  verdict  among  the  church  people.  As  he 
lay  dying,  mysterious  nurses  came  from  Indianapolis; 
the  neighbors  were  alarmed  and  superstitious  about 
caring  for  an  infidel,  as  if  there  were  the  danger  of  an 
infectious  disease.  The  nurses  kept  away  outsiders, 
and  it  was  said  to  be  for  the  purpose  of  preventing 
Agnew  from  "confessing  the  Lord  on  his  deathbed.'* 
Just  before  he  died,  an  appealing  glance  to  his  wife 
and  daughter  told  them  the  story.  It  was  a  good-bye 
to  meet  again.  He  was  denied  a  funeral  service,  also 
a  grave  in  the  little  burying  ground  in  the  rear  of  the 
chapel;  and  on  the  following  Sunday  the  preacher 
thundered  out  in  his  sermon  a  bitter  denunciation  of 
"that  pernicious  infidel,  Agnew."  This  was  the  consola 
tion  offered  the  sorrowing  widow.  Mrs.  Agnew  did  not 
long  survive  her  husband.  With  Wesley  Walker,  an 
other  orphan,  little  Agnes  was  adopted  into  the  family 
of  a  generous  farmer  named  Waldie,  and  the  two  chil 
dren  were  as  his  own.  His  own  son,  Bart,  and  Wes 
ley  were  inseparable  companions,  and  Agnes  their 
playmate.  They  were  all  educated  as  well  as  the 
means  of  the  farmer  would  permit.  When  the  boys 
were  about  twenty  years  of  age  they  left  for  Chicago 
to  make  their  fortunes,  having  learned  the  building 
trade.  Wesley  and  Agnes  were  to  be  married  when 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  37 

Wesley  had  secured  a  competence.  At  first  the  two 
plucky  boys  prospered,  and  then  reverses  came  and  de 
layed  the  marriage,  and  Wesley  wrote :  "I  want  a  home 
for  my  wife  when  we  are  married.  .Never  mind,  Agnes, 
it  will  soon  come  out  all  right." 

It  was  after  this  reversal  of  fortune  that  Agnes  had 
concluded  to  assist  by  teaching  the  village  school  at 
Poplarville,  Iowa.  When  she  had  finished  the  first 
year  of  school  in  that  village,  Wesley  brought  her  to 
the  house  of  a  friend  in  Chicago.  They  were  to  be 
married  in  their  own  home  on  the  following  day,  and 
immediately  on  their  arrival  had  gone  to  inspect  the 
new  house. 

"I  am  so  happy,  Agnes,"  said  Wesley,  as  they  en 
tered  the  new  cottage.  "Every  time  Bart  and  I  came 
here  to  inspect  the  work  we  thought  of  you." 

The  young  girl  was  supremely  happy.  It  seemed 
so  like  a  bright  beginning  of  life  after  all. 

"Mother  is  coming,  too,"  broke  in  Bart.  Won't  it 
be  a  jolly  family,  Aggie?  Wes.  is  so  excited  that  he 
had  almost  forgotten  mother." 

"No,  I  never  could  forget  her.  Now,  Bart,  you'll 
have  a  place  to  spend  your  bachelor  days  in  peace  and 
comfort." 

Bart  left,  and  Wesley  stooped  and  kissed  the  blush 
ing  girl.  "My  own  noble  Agnes!  I  am  so  happy!" 
Arm  in  arm  they  walked  about  inspecting  the  rooms, 
filled  with  the  fragrant  odor  of  new  lumber. 

"Here's  where  you  can  put  your  china,  and  drawers 
for  the  linen — no  water  to  carry.  Isn't  it  snug,  Ag 
nes?" 


38  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"Wesley,  you  are  so  kind  and  thoughtful.  This  large 
window  for  the  birds,  here  the  piano,  and  there  the 
picture  of  mamma."  With  a  woman's  instinct  she  had 
it  all  planned  at  a  glance. 

"Wesley,  I  can  scarcely  realize  it  all.  Is  this  our 
home?" 

"Yes,  dear,"  he  said  proudly,  "our  home,  "and  we'll 
be  so  happy,  won't  we?" 

"The  flowers!"  exclaimed  Agnes,  as  she  saw  beau 
tiful  roses  nodding  in  the  large  window  of  the  basement 
dining  room,  protected  by  iron  bars. 

"How  sweet  is  life,  Wesley!  A  home — our  home!" 
continued  Agnes,  radiant  in  her  happiness. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  39 


CHAPTER  VII. 

"Or    ope  the  sacred  source  of  sympathetic  tears." 
— The  Progress  of  Poesy,  Thos.  Gray. 

If  there  is  one  thing  the  average  American  news 
paper  reader  loves  to  feast  upon,  it  is  a  mysterious 
murder  case.  Chicago  has  furnished  its  full  quota. 
The  people  were  startled  the  following  day  by  reading 
of  the  murder  of  Wesley  Walker,  the  young  contractor. 
He  was  found  in  his  office  that  morning  dead,  having 
evidently  been  killed  by  a  blow  on  the  head  with  a 
stone  bottle  containing  writing  fluid.  The  safe  had 
been  robbed  and  it  was  apparently  the  work  of  burglars 
whom  he  had  discovered.  Bart  had  wraited  for  him 
that  night  at  their  room  later  than  usual,  but  he  sup 
posed  Wesley  had  remained  with  Agnes  talking  over 
the  arrangements  for  the  wedding  on  the  morrow.  He 
was  shocked  to  find  his  brother  and  partner  in  the 
morning  stretched  dead  on  the  floor  of  the  office,  and 
immediately  offered  a  large  reward  for  the  arrest  of  the 
murderer.  Black  footprints  from  the  spilled  ink  and 
blood  were  traced  some  distance  and  then  lost.  The 
mystery  was  difficult  to  solve.  Several  arrests  were 
made  on  a  chain,  of  strong  circumstantial  evidence, 
but  the  murderers  had  covered  their  tracks  well. 
Agnes  was  prostrated  by  the  terrible  tragedy;  the 
mother,  Mrs.  Waldie,  only  arrived  in  time  that  morn 
ing  to  return  witf'  *.i\e  funeral  cortege  instead  of  join- 


40  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

ing  a  happy  bridal  party  as  she  had  anticipated. 
Wesley's  remains  were  taken  back  to  the  old  home  at 
Mount  Ariel,  Indiana.  Agnes  and  her  adopted  moth 
er  were  accompanied  by  Bart,  who  proved  a  noble  and 
generous  companion  in  their  distress  and  did  all  in  his 
power  to  comfort  them.  He  remained  a  few  days  at 
the  old  home. 

"Wesley,  Wesley/'  cried  Agnes  as  she  looked  about 
and  saw  many  things  to  remind  her  of  her  lover. 

"It  was  a  hard  blow,  little  sis,"  said  Bart,  "but  \ve 
must  always  be  prepared  for  trials." 

Bart  returned  to  Chicago  and  prospered,  making 
frequent  visits  home.  Agnes  and  his  mother  looked 
forward  with  great  pleasure  to  Bart's  visit,  as  he  w::s 
always  so  kind  and  thoughtful.  The  sudden  blow  which 
bereft  him  of  a  brother  upon  whom  he  had  so  much 
depended  in  his  struggle  for  success  had  left  its  im 
press  and  his  frequent  visits  and  letters  did  much  to 
allay  the  bitter  grief  of  Agnes;  in  fact  the  death  of 
Wesley  brought  them  all  closer  together. 

One  evening  at  twilight  nearly  a  year  after  Wesley's 
death  Bart  and  Agnes  walked  down  the  old  lane  at  Mt. 
Ariel  where  with  Wesley  they  had  spent  so  many  hap 
py  days  in  childhood. 

"How  pleasant  it  is  to  be  at  the  eld  home  again," 
said  Bart.  "Let's  sit  down,  Aggie,  I  want  to  talk  to 
you.  Now,  Aggie,  that  property  in  Chicago  is  yours 
just  as  much  as  though  poor  Wesley  were  alive. 
His  interest  in  the  business  remains  the  same — the 
same  as  if  you  had  been  married." 

"Oh,  Bart,  you  arc  too  generous,    said  Agnes,  look- 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  41 

ing  tip  through  her  tears.  "It  was  so  sudden,  his 
death  prostrated  me — cruelly  murdered.  Who  could 
have  been  so  wicked,  so  heartless?  Poor  Wesley, 
love's  young  dream  has  faded  away — one  single  night 
between  the  fullest  happiness  and  the  saddest  wee — O, 
Wesley,  Wesley." 

"It  was  a  hard  blow  for  me,  Aggie,  his  bright  young 
face,  his  enthusiasm,  made  him  the  leader  in  our  busi 
ness.  He  never  failed  to  make  friends  and  our  profits 
were  large,"  said  Bart  in  a  consoling  way. 

"Why  should  God  make  my  life  so  miserable? 
Sometimes  I  feel  bitter  against  the  world — " 

"There  are  others,  Aggie." 

"Yes,  yes,  we  mourn  together  our  brother — our 
playmate,  you  have  been  a  noble  friend  to  him." 

"Agnes,  Agnes — I — I—  "  said  Cart  passionately, 
drawing  close  to  her. 

"Why,  Bart,  what  is  it,  you  look  pale — come  let  us 
go  on." 

"Agnes,  let  me  take  Wesley's  place,  but  truly  I  love 
you;  let  me — " 

"Bart,  I  must  be  honest;  my  heart,  my  life  was  given 
to  Wesley;  his  death  leaves  it  blank." 

"Agnes,  I  do  not  ask  you  to  forget  our  brother,  but 
in  the  struggle  of  life  I  am  so  lonely — so  lonely,"  he 
said,  breaking  into  tears. 

"Bart,  a  woman  is  never  dead  to  sympathy,  and  your 
tears  are  more  eloquent  than — 

"They  come  from  the  heart,"  broke  in  Bart,  earn 
estly,  and  as  we  were  children  together  let  us  be  man 
and  woman  together." 


42  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"You  are  so  good  and  true,  Bart;  it  is  hard  for  a 
woman  to  transfer  suddenly  real  love,  but  perhaps  in 
time — " 

"Say  yes,  Agnes,"  he  pleaded. 

"But  I  have  accepted  my  old  place  as  teacher  at 
Poplarville." 

"Leave  that  to  take  care  of  itself;  there  you  are  carry 
ing  on  an  unequal  struggle  all  alone ;  you  are  trying  to 
introduce  new  ideas — some  common  sense  among 
those  dumb  people;  leave  it  all  and  come  home;  write 
your  resignation  now." 

"But  Bart,  the  school  board  will  never  forgive  me; 
there  is  a  year's  contract." 

"With  me,  Agnes,  it  is  a  life  contract.  One  word 
from  you  now  decides  my  destiny." 

"Bart,  it  seems  too  bad  to  break — " 

"Say  yes,  Agnes,"  and  he  suddenly  kissed  her,  not 
as  he  had  often  done  before,  but  in  the  solemn  twilight 
that  kiss  was  a  lover's  token.  Half  consenting,  she 
consented;  a  few  weeks  later  they  were  married  at 
the  old  home  and  left  soon  after  for  Chicago. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  43 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

"A  politician;   one  that  would  circumvent  God." 

— Hamlet. 

Shortly  after  Bart  and  Agnes  were  settled  in  Chi 
cago,  Elbert  had  called  upon  them  and  found  his  new 
friend,  whose  gospel,  "stand  by  your  friends,"  made  a 
lasting  impression  upon  him.  Bart  Waldie's  business 
flourished  as  his  political  success  advanced;  in  fact 
the  flush  of  commercial  prestige  resulted  in  a  deeper 
fascination  for  politics  until  now  it  had  become  al 
most  a  part  of  his  business. 

"Bart,  I  don't  like  politics,"  said  his  wife  one  day 
shortly  after,  "there  are  so  many  temptations." 

"Trust  me  Agnes,"  he  said  laughing.  "Elbert  and 
I  are  going  to  reform  political  methods  in  Chicago. 
He  is  a  bright  young  fellow  and  a  natural  politician." 

"Yes,  but  I  am  afraid  of  the  pitfalls." 

"Tut,  tut,  that's  the  old  notion.  Why  in  a  few  years 
you  women  will  be  voting,  and  then  I'm  going  to  run 
for  office." 

"Bart,  when  our  influence  at  home  is  extinguished 
we  shall  ask  for  the  ballot,  not  till  then." 

"Sensible  wife.  Now  I  must  hurry  to  catch  the 
train  for  Springfield.  We  have  an  important  bill  there 
to  look  after.  Elbert  is  going  with  me." 

"Bart,  take  care  of  the  boy;  don't  let  him— 

"Come  Agnes,  don't  you  worry  over  Elbert.     He 


44  BOSS    BART,    POLITIC! A \. 

has  a  long,  wise  head,  and  a  \visc,  lo-.ig-heacV:!  young 
man  never  gets  himself  inio  trouble.  Good-bye, 
dear." 

Elbert  accompanied  Bart  to  Springfield,  and  was 
introduced  by  him  into  the  arena  of  practical  state 
politics.  There  was  a  special  bill  then  pending  before 
the  legislature  to  amend  the  city  charter  so  as  to  enable 
the  manipulation  of  certain  valuable  franchise  rights 
and  privileges.  The  champagne  suppers  came  thick 
and  fast.  The  bill  was  lobbied  under  the  pretense  of 
being  in  the  interest  of  the  city  and  the  lobby  ex 
penses  in  part  were  liquidated  by  the  city  under  various 
guises.  Money  was  spent  with  the  freedom  character 
istic  of  American  commercial  operations.  It  was  the 
modern  mania  for  boodling  that  asserted  itself.  Yan 
kee  "shrewdness"  demanded  a  victim,  and  if  rone  other 
were  possible  the  public  trer.sr.ry  must  suiler  even 
though  as  a  tax-payer  the  irrepressible  Yankee  spirit 
was  in  fact  robbing  itself.  A:;es  were  there  to  be 
ground  with  silver  and  gold,  and  influence  was  largely 
measured  by  moneyed  interests.  Men  who  stood  on 
street  corners  crying  most  vehemently  for  reform  had 
their  franchise  irons  well  into  the  fire. 

A  glimpse  behind  the  scenes  made  Elbert  shudder 
as  he  noted  the  actions  of  mysterious  groups  in  hotel 
corridors. 

"Bart,  is  this  practical  politics?  Is  all  this  legisla 
tion  pernicious?" 

"Disgusting,  isn't  it,  my  boy?  Well,  some  consider 
it  so,  but  it  is  not  half  so  bad  as  it  looks.  The  money 
is  used  to  get  bad  men  to  refrain  from  defeating  good 


BOSS  BART,  'POLITICIAN.  45 

measures  as  well  as  to  get  good  men  to  vote  for  bad 
measures." 

"Well,  monarchy  is  not  so  bad  after  all.  One  bood- 
ling  prince  is  better  than  a  pack  of  princely  boodlers." 

"Oh,  well,  you'll  get  over  those  exaggerated  notions, 
my  boy.  Come  with  me  to  48." 

They  went  upstairs  to  room  48  and  there  found  two 
clerks  of  a  railway  company  busy  making  out  passes. 
The  room  was  rilled  with  state  law-makers.  On  the 
mantel  was  a  bottle  of  whisky  and  other  transparent 
indications  of  hospitality.  In  an  inner  room  sat  the 
kingly  lobbyist  with  his  arms  gently  about  one  of  the 
"boys,"  talking  over  the  bill  which  was  to  come  before 
the  legislature  on  the  following  day. 

"O,  yes,  he  is  our  friend,"  said  the  lobbyist,  coming 
out  with  his  hands  on  the  shoulders  of  two  members 
and  talking  very  earnestly. 

"Well,  Bart,  old  boy,  how  are  you?"  was  his  greet 
ing,  and  Elbert  was  introduced  to  the  inner  circle  of 
our  great  sovereign  government,  of,  for,  and  by  the 
people. 

Shades  of  Lincoln,  all  this  at  the  threshold  of  his 
sacred  tomb! 

They  had  returned  home  and  Elbert  was  impressed 
with  new  ideas  of  our  great  government,  and  he  said 
little  as  he  and  Bart  sat  alone  together.  Elbert  was 
planning  for  an  evening  of  music  when  there  was  a  ring 
at  the  door  and  a  card  sent  in. 

"Mrs.  Daniels  of  Washington,"  said  Bart.  "O,  yes, 
Senator  Forthwith — " 


46  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

Elbert  took  the  hint  and  left  before  the  lady  was 
shown  in. 

"Mrs.  Daniels  of  Washington;  pray  be  seated,"  said 
Bart,  gallantly,  as  he  greeted  a  handsome  woman 
strikingly  dressed.  She  swept  into  the  room  with  an 
air  of  superb  ease  and  confidence. 

"I  have  called,  Mr.  Waldie,  at  the  request  of  Sen 
ator  Forthwith  of  the  Appropriations  Committee,  with 
this  letter  of  introduction.  You  will  notice  that  the 
Senator  desires  your  co-operation  in  a  little  matter 
affecting  the  River  and  Harbor  bill,"  she  said  in  an 
easy  and  business-like  way. 

"Yes." 

"I  learned  confidentially  before  leaving  Washington 
that  your  chances  for  the  marshalship  are  remarkably 
good;  you  will  likely  be  appointed,  and  I  am  instructed 
to  ask  you  to  carry  out  the  provisions  of  that  letter." 

"Thank  you;  let  me  see,"  said  Bart,  consulting  the 
letter.  "Check  two  thousand  dollars,  personal  ex 
penses  of  Mrs.  Daniels,  um!  Letter  from  me  recom 
mending  Mrs.  Daniels  to  the  governor  of  Wisconsin, 
um!  Two  thousand  dollars;  is  that  the  lowest,  Mrs. 
Daniels?" 

"It  should  be  twice  as  much." 

"Um,  and  what  do  I  get  in  return,  do  you  say?" 

"Well,  there  will  be  ten  men  on  the  pay  roll  of  pub 
lic  works,  two  consulships,  small  of  course,  one  clerk 
ship  in  the  Interior  Department,  and  our  influence." 

Agnes  entered  the  room  just  then.  Bart  went  to 
ward  her. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  47 

"Ah,  my  wife;  Mrs.  Daniels  of  Washington,  my 
dear." 

"From  Washington?  A  beautiful  city.  Do  you 
make  a  long  stay  in  Chicago?"  said  Agnes. 

"No,  I  am  here  only  a  few  days;  that  is,  here  and 
Springfield.  By  the  way,  Mr.  Waldie,  I  met  in  Spring 
field  a  charming  young  man — Mr.  Ainsworth — he 
mentioned  your  name. 

"Oh,  yes,  a  bright  young  fellow,  one  of  my  wife's 
former  pupils,"  said  Bart  with  an  air  of  pride. 

"Ah,"  continued  Mrs.  Daniels,  "I  took  quite  a  fancy 
to  him,  but  his  ideas  politically  are  too  visionary  for 
success;  silk-stocking  methods.  Well,  you  know,  sen 
timent  is  all  very  well,  but  the  pocket-book  is  the  only 
sentiment  the  voter  and  worker  understand." 

"Why,  Mrs.  Daniels,  I  am  surprised,"  broke  in 
Agnes;  "I  thought  Mr.  Ainsworth's  views  the  most 
sensible  for  pure  government  and  entirely  shared  by 
my  husband." 

Bart  moved  uneasily  in  his  chair,  and  Mrs.  Daniels 
gave  a  quick  look  from  one  to  the  other  and  entirely 
comprehended  the  situation. 

"Ah,  my  dear  Mrs.  Waldie,  I  fear  pure  government 
is  chimerical,"  said  the  charming  widow  with  a  wave 
of  her  gloved  hand. 

"Politics,  my  dear,  must  be  practical,"  said  Bart. 

"And  if  the  women  voted — "  said  Agnes. 

"Then  they  would  not  be  practical.  I  will  call  at 
five,  Mr.  Waldie,  for  your  answer,"  said  Mrs.  Daniels, 
arising  to  go. 

"We  shall  be  pleased  to  see  you,  and  you  will  be  just 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

in  time  then  for  a  cup  of  tea,"  said  Agnes,  going 
with  her  to  the  door. 

As  Agnes  returned,  her  question  to  Bart  was  quite 
the  natural  interrogation  of  a  curious  wife.  "Who  is 
this  Mrs.  Daniels,  Bart?" 

"A  friend  of  Senator  Forthwith." 

"Ah,  a  lobbyist,  of  course.  Bart,  give  up  politics 
and  attend  to  business.  It  will  sooner  or  later  make 
great  changes  in  you  and  me;  it  is  an  unnatural  life; 
the  product  of  false  position,  and  the  golden  opportun 
ity  under  our  present  methods  of  government  of  ras 
cals  and  thieves.  Give  it  up." 

The  mail  was  brought  in  just  then  and  Bart  busied 
himself  looking  it  over  hurriedly,  and  continued: 

"There  pet,  don't  worry.  I  love  you  enough  to  do 
almost  anything  you  ask.  I  expect  to-day  to  be  ap 
pointed  U.  S.  Marshal.  Yes,  by  George,  here  is  the 
envelope;  we  will  soon  be  in  clover.  Perhaps  I  shall 
be  elected  governor;  who  knows.  Then  you  will  be 
Mrs.  Governor  Waldie,  eh?" 

But  the  political  prospects  did  not  seem  to  inspire 
Agnes;  there  was  a  pained  and  sad  look  on  her  face 
as  Elbert  entered  to  help  Bart  with  the  mail. 

"Here  is  a  letter  from  Thompson  from  the  North 
Side;  wants  you  to  attend  to  Simpkins'  bill  for  car 
riages;  it  has  been  hanging  over  since  the  primaries," 
said  Elbert,  busy  at  his  work. 

"Any  letter  for  me,  Bart?"  said  Agnes. 

"No,  no,  dear,  don't  bother  me  just  now,  I  am  busy  " 
said  Bart,  with  an  air  of  impatience.  "McCutch- 
eon  says,"  continued  Bart  to  Elbert,  "we  want  to 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  49' 

show  ourselves  at  the  opening  of  the  A.  B.  C.  on 
Madison  street;  take  in  Hooley's  great  show  and 
wind  up  on  the  roof  garden;  then  he  has  arranged  for 
us  to  quiet  Madigan;  you  know  Madigan?  Little  Jim- 
mie  of  North  Clark  street,  at  10  o'clock  and  at  I 
o'clock;  we  are  to  meet  at  Madame  Porteo's  roof  gar 
den  of  course;  she  has  the  pull  in  the  Second  Precinct 
of  her  ward. 

"Bart,  I  am  tired  and  sick  of  this  all-night,  meet-me- 
in-the-dark  work.  It  is  disreputable.  Is  there  no 
such  thing  as  clean  politics?"  said  Elbert,  with  im 
patience. 

Bart,  wheeling  around  in  his  chair  answered  very 
shortly : 

"Noap,  noap,  Elbert,  you  are  my  right-hand  man; 
you  know  who  made  you;  stick  by  your  friends." 

"Well,  I  am  sticking  to  you." 

"Our  fences  got  down  a  little  when  I  went  to  Spring 
field  ;  we  must  prop  them  up." 

"All  right,"  said  Elbert,  resignedly,  "but  as  I  said  in 
Springfield  the  other  day,  I  would  give  two  years  of 
my  life  to  find  twenty  honest  men  in  a  bunch  in  any 
political  gathering." 

"Political  success  means  political  enemies;  you  ac 
cepted  a  retainer  in  that  corporation  affair.  Well  the 
labor  vote  is  against  you  now." 

"It  was  simply  a  fair  and  honest  retainer  in  my  pro 
fession." 

"Um!  and  they  call  you  a  boodler  because  you  took 
that  city  fee." 

"Well.  I  earned  it  and  you  got  it  for  me." 


50  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"That  doesn't  matter.  O,  well,  I  just  wanted  you  to 
become  hardened  to  these  things.  You  see  honest 
'iealings  are  sometimes  more  difficult  to  explain  than 
cpen  stealing.  Now  I  see  McCutcheon  and  Schledg- 
milch  are  here;  you  better  go  while  I  straighten  out 
matters  on  the  German  vote." 


BOSS   BART,   POLITICIAN.  51 


CHAPTER   IX. 
"This   divorcive  law." 


—Milton. 


After  having!  been  admitted  to  the  bar,  Elbert  had 
plunged  into  the  real  struggle  of  building  up  a  law 
practice.  As  fate  decreed  it,  he  had  an  office  in  the 
very  building  for  which  he  had  carried  brick.  It  was 
one  of  those  large  office  buildings  which  contained 
more  people  than  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  village  of 
Poplarville.  Bart  sent  him  considerable  business  to 
start  with  through  political  friends.  His  library  at 
first  consisted  of  black-bound  government  reports, 
blue  books,  and  the  other  tonnage  of  dead  literature 
so  generously  distributed  by  the  government.  As  vol 
ume  by  volume  was  added  to  his  law  library,  he  gained 
an  acquaintanceship  with  them  more  or  less  thorough. 
His  speeches  at  political  conventions  and  caucuses 
throughout  the  city  attracted  general  attention,  and 
he  soon  became  an  invaluable  and  loyal  lieutenant  to 
Bart.  He  joined  secret  societies  enthusiastically,  and 
became  a  popular,  companionable  fellow ;  but  his  social 
and  political  success  naturally  caused  a  coterie  of  bitter 
enemies. 

Soon  after  he  visited  his  mother  at  the  old  home  in 
Poplarville.  How  proud  he  felt  as  the  old  friends  of 
childhood  now  referred  to  him  as  a  Chicago  lawyer; 


52  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

and  he  felt  that  his  Charles  Summer  side-whiskers 
gave  him  a  particularly  distinguished  appearance. 

"I  always  knew  that  boy  would  make  his  mark,  by 
ginger,"  said  Dr.  Buzzer.  "These  other  youngsters 
staid  at  home  tied  to  their  mother's  apron  strings. 
Now  just  see  the  difference." 

During  this  visit  home  Elbert  secured  his  first  case. 
Ned  Housle,  the  brother  of  his  old  sweetheart,  had 
married  Nettie  Jackson,  the  only  daughter  of  a 
wealthy  farmer  living  near  the  village.  Young 
Housle's  taste  for  city  life  had  led  him  to  Chicago, 
where  he  had  squandered  nearly  all  of  his  wife's  mon 
ey  in  trying  to  establish  himself  on  the  Chicago  Board 
of  Trade.  His  natural  instincts  were  those  of  the 
gambler,  and  now  that  his  money  was  gone  the  faith 
ful  wife  had  gone  to  Chicago  to  try  and  help  him.  Her 
reward  was  a  suit  for  divorce,  Housle  thinking  that  to 
avoid  publicity  and  trouble  the  deserted  wife  would 
allow  the  case  to  go  by  default. 

Not  so  the  irate  father,  who  was  a  friend  of  Dr. 
Buzzer. 

"I'd  never  stand  it,  by  ginger!  That  young  scape 
grace  should  be  taught  a  lesson.  I'd  fight  it,"  de 
clared  the  doctor. 

"Yes,  but  where's  the  money  to  hire  one  of  those 
expensive  city  lawyers,"  said  his  friend  plaintively. 

"Why,  hire  young  Ainsworth.  He's  a  fighter  with 
good  spurs.  He's  got  to  win  his  epaulets,  and  he'll 
fix  him,  always  said  so." 

Elbert  was  seen  and  promptly  took  the  case,  feel 
ing  in  it  a  chivalrous  duty  as  well  as  an  opportunity. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  53 

He  went  at  it  systematically  to  study  the  evidence. 
Notes  were  made  of  all  important  points  and  jotted 
down  in  the  peculiar  way  of  a  lawyer.  A  leaf  tran 
scribed  from  his  note  book  appeared  as  follows: 

"Cruelty 

April  2 — back  door — hit  club 

Child — Buzzer — Phys. — Career — 

Chicago — gamb. — mist — Scrog. — 

Shandy — good  ciiar." 
and  so  on  page  after  page. 

The  declaration  had  been  served  and  Elbert  had  only 
a  few  days  in  which  to  file  his  answer,  which  was  a  gen 
eral  denial,  with  a  counter-charge  of  inhuman  treat 
ment.  He  threw  his  whole  soul  into  the  effort,  work 
ing  night  and  day,  and  did  not  forget  the  important 
feature — the  jury.  In  this  Bart's  general  acquaintance 
and  influence  was  favorable.  While  there  was  no  di 
rect  statement  made  of  the  fact,  it  was  generally  under 
stood  that  young  Ainsworth  should  have  ''the  right 
jury." 

The  day  of  the  trial  arrived  and  the  court  room  was 
filled  with  a  large  throng  expecting  an  array  of  deli 
cious  scandal.  The  sensational  newspapers  reported 
it  fully,  and  Bart  saw  to  it  that  the  artists  and  reporters 
gave  due  prominence  to  the  "bright  young  attorney  for 
the  defense." 

The  preliminary  proceedings  were  completed,  and 
although  older  lawyers  opposed  him  and  Bart  had  of 
fered  to  secure  help,  Elbert  insisted  on  fighting  the 
case  alone.  He  struck  from  the  panel  of  the  jury 
such  men  as  were  thought  to  be  unfavorable,  under 


54  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

Bart's  whispered  directions.  The  wife  and  her  father 
sat  near  him,  and  the  husband,  flashily  attired,  was  de 
fiant  and  unconcerned  across  the  table.  The  features 
of  the  trial  were  the  frequent  objections  and  exceptions 
by  Elbert,  his  copious  notes,  and  a  few  stern  repri 
mands  from  the  court.  His  cross-examination  wa?  so 
different  from  the  usual  stereotyped  method  that  it 
rather  nonplussed  his  opponents,  and  his  witnesses 
gave  such  simple  and  brief  testimony  that  it  left 
Housle's  attorneys  but  little  to  work  upon.  The  evi 
dence  had  all  been  taken  and  it  seemed  a  clear  case 
for  the  defense,  as  general  sympathy  was  naturally  with 
the  wife.  The  village  neighbors  from  Iowa  had  prov 
en  her  character  beyond  reproach  and  also  the  brutal 
ity  of  the  husband.  To  Elbert  everything  seemed 
serene  for  a  verdict,  and  he  was  busy  gathering  notes 
for  an  eloquent  final  plea. 

"We  will  call  Peter  Scroggins  for  further  cross-ex 
amination,"  said  one  of  Housle's  attorneys. 

This  was  a  surprise  to  Elbert,  as  Scroggins  had  been 
one  of  his  strongest  witnesses. 

"You  swore,  Mr.  Scroggins,  that  you  saw  Housle 
strike  the  defendant  at  the  rear  door  of  their  home  on 
the  morning  of  the  2d  of  April  last?" 

"Yes,  sir;  I  did." 

"Now,  sir;  tell  us  what  was  the  provocation  of  that 
blow." 

"I  object,"  shouted  Elbert. 

"She  had  run  away  with  Bill  Bozeman,"  Scroggins 
answered  quickly. 

"I  move  that  be  stricken  out,"  continued  Elbert. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  55 

There  was  a  ripple  of  excitement  in  the  court  room 
over  this  sensational  evidence.  The  judge  was  try 
ing  to  quiet  the  crowd,  while  Peter,  turning  to  the 
jury,  continued: 

"Bill  Bozernan  is  dead  now,  but  he  was  a  tough 
one.3' 

The  little  wife  broke  into  tears  and  the  father  turned 
white  and  clenched  his  hands. 

As  no  co-respondent  had  been  named  in  the  com 
plaint,  the  testimony  was  stricken  out,  but  it  had  been 
spoken  and  had  poisoned  the  public  mind  as  well  as 
that  of  the  jury.  Elbert  made  an  eloquent  plea,  but 
a  verdict  was  brought  in  for  the  plaintiff.  It  was  evi 
dent  that  Scroggins  had  been  bought  up,  and  his  en 
vious  enmity  against  the  chum  of  his  childhood  had 
found  full  vent. 

"Elbert  is  so  stuck  up  with  city  airs  he  don't  know 
me  down  at  his  office.  Guess  he'll  find  out  a  country 
jay  knows  a  thing  or  two  after  all,"  whispered  Peter, 
defiantly,  on  leaving  the  roon 

It  was  a  shock  to  Elbert  and  the  defeat  he  felt  very 
keenly,  more  especially  because  it  was  occasioned  by 
a  betrayal  on  the  part  of  his  own  witness. 

"The  jury  and  witnesses  were  tampered  with.  I'll 
see  to  this,"  whispered  Bart.  "Get  a  new  trial,  and 
we'll  show  them  a  trick  or  two  yet." 

The  prosecution  had  not  calculated  upon  a  stubborn 
resistance,  thinking  the  wife  would  meekly  submit  to 
avoid  further  scandal.  Bart,  in  his  easy  way,  ap 
proached  Housle's  attorneys  when  court  adjourned. 

"You  fellows  are  going  to  get  into  trouble.     I  am 


56  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

onto  the  whole  deal.  We  had  some  friends  on  that 
jury  too.  It  was  a  dastardly  trick  to  beat  the  boy." 

They  knew  Bart  Waldie;  they  also  knew  that  he  did 
not  indulge  in  idle  threats. 

"Well,  suppose  we  drop  the  suit,  as  there  is  nothing 
in  it,  and  you  drop  it,"  suggested  the  elder  attorney. 

"Well,  there's  a  red-hot  poker  waiting  for  you  fel 
lows  if  you  try  any  more  of  this  on  the  new  trial," 
said  Bart  conclusively. 

The  new  trial  was  granted,  and  Housle's  attorneys 
seemed  to  fear  an  explosion  with  Waldie's  searching 
black  eyes  upon  them,  and  they  made  no  such  fight 
as  at  the  former  trial,  and  the  result  was  the  wife  was 
fully  vindicated. 

Peter  Scroggins  mysteriously  disappeared  a  few  days 
before  the  second  trial,  and  never  appeared  in  Poplar- 
ville  again  or  it  might  have  been  unhealthy  for  him. 
To  reflect  upon  a  pure  woman's  character  aroused  the 
old  pioneer  spirit  of  lynch  law  in  Iowa. 

This  first  case  in  his  law  career  opened  to  Elbert 
the  book  of  human  nature,  and  he  found  in  it  the  real 
study  of  life  as  well  as  of  his  profession. 

"Trust  no  one,"  said  Bart,  "unless  you  have  a  strong 
rope  on  him.  That's  my  rule  in  politics." 

Of  course  the  trial  made  a  breach  between  Elbert 
and  Ned's  sister,  Kittie,  but  there  was  little  regret  felt 
on  his  part. 

"Bad  brothers  sometimes  have  good  sisters,  but  I'll 
keep  out  of  the  family,"  thought  Elbert,  as  he  smoked 
and  meditated  over  the  dramatic  incidents  of  his  first 
trial. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  57 


CHAPTER  X. 

"By  the  pricking  of  my  thumbs, 
Something  wicked  this  way  comes, 
Open,  locks, 
Whoever  knocks!" 

—Shakespeare. 

The  peculiarly  mingled  victory  and  defeat  in  the  di 
vorce  case  of  Housle  vs.  Housle  brought  Elbert  for 
ward  as  one  of  the  promising  young  lawyers  of  Chi 
cago.  Bart  and  his  wife  were  naturally  quite  proud  of 
him,  and  he  continued  to  grow  in  prominence  in  his 
chosen  profession.  While  Bart  continued  to  prosper 
in  his  business  and  achieved  success  in  his  political 
ambitions,  it  was  evident  that  in  attaining  his  political 
aspirations,  husband  and  wife  were  drifting  apart. 
Agnes  suffered  in  silence  as  night  carousals  and  polit 
ical  conferences  kept  Bart  a\vay  from  home  days  and 
nights  at  a  time,  and  Elbert  was  quick  to  notice  it. 
He  felt  like  speaking  of  it  in  order  to  avert  what  seemed 
to  him  to  be  a  calamity  that  would  surely  result  from 
the  present  course  of  proceedings.  But  the  most  in 
timate  friends  often  find  some  matters  too  delicate  to 
mention  to  one  another,  and  to  remonstrate  with  gen 
erous,  good-hearted  Bart  seemed  more  than  he  could 
do. 

Bart  and  Mrs.  Waldie  had  made  lonely  evenings  hap 
py  for  the  young  man  and  kept  him  free  from  the  usual 
temptations  of  the  city,  and  his  high  ideals  remained 


58  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

untainted.  With  the  exception  of  too  much  claret 
at  a  banquet  at  Hinsley's  one  night  his  conscience  was 
clear,  and  he  remembered  that  night  as  the  occasion 
when  he  had  feathers  on  his  feet. 

Bart  was  in  the  midst  of  a  heated  municipal  cam 
paign,  and  Elbert  had  planned  to  spend  an  evening 
at  their  home  when  a  note  arrived  from  McCutchcon, 
and  it  was  soon  followed  by  that  personage  himself — 
a  tall,  angular,  smooth-faced  man  who  called  himself 
a  speculator. 

"Got  your  note  just  now ;  I  was  arguing  with  Ains- 
worth  here  about  our  engagements  this  evening,"  said 
Bart  to  McCutcheon,  as  he  was  shown  in. 

"Young  fellow,  you  want  to  remember  who  gave  you 
the  glad-hand  last  fall.  You're  owned  by  Boss 
Waldie;  I  give  it  to  you  straight,"  said  McCutcheon. 
under  his  breath,  to  Elbert. 

"Never,"  said  Elbert,  jumping  up  excitedly,  "he  is 
my  friend  but  he  does  not  own  me;  no  one  save  my 
conscience  owns  me." 

"Bart,  the  young  fellow  feels  his  oats;  the  legisla 
ture  is  too  high  for  him,"  said  McCutcheon,  grimly. 

"There,  McCutcheon,  that  will  do,"  cried  F.art; 
"Ainsworth  is  all  right,  only  raised  a  little  differently." 

"Yes,  gentlemen,  raised  at  my  mother's  knee;  and 
I  pray  the  time  will  come  when  I  shall  see  a  campaign 
conducted  on  principle,"  retorted  Elbert,  hotly. 

"In  our  ward  it  is  principal — and  interest,  office  and 
boodle,  bleed  the  candidate,  sugar  the  boys  and  feed 
yourself,  eh,  Bart?"  said  McCutcheon,  with  a  sardonic 
grin. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  59 

"Yes,  there  is  no  such  word  as  principle  in  practical 
politics,"  he  replied. 

"I  just  dropped  in  for  that  check  you  know,"  con 
tinued  McCutcheon.  "The  salary  list  for  the  city  hall; 
dead  men's  row.  Flip  us  your  fist  and  I'll  be  off. 

"We  must  cut  down  those  dummies,  Jimmy." 

"Cut  nothing;  you  stick  to  your  word,  Bart." 

Agnes  entered  just  then.  It  annoyed  Bart,  but  he 
introduced  McCutcheon  politely. 

"Mrs.  Waldie,  Mr.  McCutcheon." 

"Good  afternoon,  sir.  Bart,  when  are  you  coming? 
I  haven't  seen  you  all  day." 

"Well,  ma'am,  we  have  got  a  whole  layout  on  the 
cloth  for  this  evening.  No  telling  \vhen  we  can  get 
back,"  said  McCutcheon. 

"Oh,  Bart,  out  again  to-night!"  said  Agnes,  but 
Bart  paid  no  attention  to  her  as  she  left  the  room,  and 
went  on: 

"Schledgmilch  is  here.  Don't  go,  McCutcheon,  till 
we  see  how  his  ward  stands.  Ah,  Schledgmilch,  how 
are  you  this  afternoon?" 

Schledgmilch,  a  very  fleshy,  pompous  man,  came  in 
to  the  room. 

"Goo'  afternoon,  efferybody." 

"How  is  the  German  snarl?"  inquired  Bart,  quickly. 

"Off  color.  No  Sherman  on  the  ticket  and  twenty 
good  saloons  in  the  ward.  What  vay  is  dat  to  do 
beezness?" 

"What  do  you  hear  about  Turner?"  asked  Bart. 

"Dat's  it,  dat's  it,  dynamite  and  pepper  crackers! 
Dat's  the  milk  in  the  shcstnut.  He  has  the  evidence. 


60  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

I  had  the  tip.  Five  fellows  will  swear  that  we  are 
boodlers  of  the  first  water." 

This  rather  astonished  Bart  and  McCutcheon,  but 
Elbert,  engaged  with  his  papers,  had  not  apparently 
taken  any  notice  of  the  conversation. 

"And  you  had  it  straight?"  asked  Bart. 

"As  straight  as  we  three  are  crooked,"  said  Schledg- 
milch. 

"Elbert,  get  the  papers  ready;  I'll  spike  that  young1 
whelp."  He's  in  a  glass  house  himself.  Rush  the 
case  right  through.  We'll  show  old  Turner's  son  that 
we  can  squeeze  as  well  as  he  could  with  his  street  cars. 
Young  Turner's  mouth  must  be  stopped." 

"But,  Bart,  is  this  honest?"  interposed  Elbert. 

"Honest  be  damned!  Fight  fire  with  fire ;  that  ward 
must  be  carried  no  matter  what  it  costs.  Turner's 
blood  if  necessary,"  replied  Bart,  heatedly. 

"Yes,  he's  shelling  out  the  money  like  corn,  and 
some  of  our  boys  wink  the  other  eye,"  broke  in  Mc 
Cutcheon. 

"Stop  Turner's  money,  put  a  few  fellows  on  the  pay 
roll  and  do  something  for  Schneider  and  we're  all 
right,  O.  K.  up  to  date,  don't  it?"  said  Schledgmilch, 
as  if  he  had  it  all  settled. 

"Will  five  hundred  fix  you?"  said  Bart. 

"Beautiful !  mid  the  goose  out  of  sight — of  Turner." 

"Very  well,  I'll  meet  you  all  at  Kinsley's  at  eight 
sharp,  a .  bottle  on  the  quiet,  and  then  to  business. 
Mac,  stop  in  and  tell  Kinsley  I  want  a  private  room 
for  six  and  a  small  supper — now  get  out,  for  I'm  very 
busy." 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  61 

"Bart,  you  vas  a  daisy!"  said  Schledgmilch. 

''I  stick  by  my  friends,"  echoed  Bart,  as  they  left. 

"Elbert,  got  that  mail  all  checked  up?"  continued 
Bart.  "Well,  here's  my  appointment  from  Washing 
ton." 

Elbert  took  it  up,  read  it,  and  congratulated  Bart 
sincerely.  "Now  you  can  pay  off  old  scores  without 
feeling  it,  Bart."  And  Bart  looked  significantly  wise 
and  satisfied. 

"You've  got  just  a  half  hour,"  said  Bart,  looking  at 
his  watch.  "Run  down  and  see  that  something's  in 
the  papers  to-night;  just  a  line  you  know:  'The  em 
inent  Bart  Waldie,  the  people's  favorite,  now  U.  S. 
Marshal,  confidence  in  his  integrity.'  Say  half  a  dozen 
lines." 

"It's  pretty  late,  but  I'll  try,"  said  Elbert,  leaving 
hurriedly  as  Agnes  came  into  the  room. 

"Elbert  and  all  gone.  I'm  glad  to  have  my  husband 
five  minutes  to  myself,"  she  said,  putting  her  arms 
about  Bart's  neck  as  he  was  seated  at  his  desk  looking 
over  papers  and  schedules. 

"There,  there,  Agnes,"  he  said,  putting  her  off, 
"don't  you  see  how  busy  I  am?" 

"Do  we  drive  this  afternoon?" 

"Well,  hardly,  with  all  I  have  to  do.  Have  dinner 
sharp  at  six,  as  I've  got  to  be  down  town  at  eight." 

"Two  months  married  and  my  husband  is  lost  in 
the  wild  game  of  politics,"  thought  Agnes,  leaving  the 
room. 


62  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

"Conscience  has  no  more  to  do  with  gallantry  than  it  has 
•with  politics." 

— The  Duenna,  Richard  Brfnsley  Sheridan. 

No  sooner  had  Agnes  left  the  room  then  Bart  began 
to  feel  a  tinge  of  remorse  over  the  manner  in  which 
he  had  treated  her.  He  tried  to  soothe  his  feelings 
by  unstinted  generosity  in  making  presents  to  her  old 
friends  at  Poplarville.  Through  Agnes  and  Elbert, 
and  Uncle  Jasper,  who  had  known  Bart's  parents  at 
Mt.  Ariel,  Dr.  Buzzer,  the  judge,  Mary  Jane  and  all 
the  residents  of  Poplarville  seemed  to  Bart  like  old 
friends  although  he  never  had  seen  some  of  them.  He 
dreamed  of  a  happy  vacation  sometime  at  Poplarville. 

As  he  sat  at  his  desk  he  reflected:  "It  is  pleasant  to 
do  a  kind  act;  I  love  the  dear  old  village  and  all  its  peo 
ple.  The  life  of  those  simple  country  homes 
and  country  people  communing  with  nature,  with  a 
childlike  trust  in  the  future,  is  preferable  to  the  fever 
ish,  pushing,  pulse-throbbing  existence  I  spend  in 
the  city.  For  what?  Daily  bread,  no  more." 

His  reverie  was  broken  by  the  maid  announcing: 
"A  rough  woman   insists  on  seeing  you,   sir.     Mrs. 
Waldie  is  upstairs  or  I  would  call  her." 

She  was  followed  close  by  Paulina,  who  hissed  in  a 
vicious  way, 

"It  is  better  not — it  make  a  mischief — perhaps." 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  63 

"Well,  what  is  it?"  said  Bart,  with  a  yawn. 

"Ah,  what  is  it  not,  Naomi?' 

"There,  that  will  do,  don't  speak  so  loud;  you  prom 
ised  never  to  come  here  again." 

"Ah,  that  was  before — " 

"Before  what?" 

"The  fraulein  came  from  the  village — the  fraulein  I 
say — not  the  frau." 

"You  can't  frighten  any  more  money  out  of  me." 

"No?  Who  win  the  love  of  fraulein;  shall  I  say 
where?  Bah!" 

"Our  affairs  were  closed  two  years  ago." 

"No!" 

"For  two  years  I  have  tried  to  lead  an  honest  and 
honorable  life  and  now  you  come  to  make  demands 
upon  me;  the  past  is  dead  and  buried." 

"No,  the  sting  dies  not;  my  daughter,  the  frau,  she 
live;  the  child,  your  child,  he  live.  The  past?  No, 
not  dead." 

"Paulina,  let's  talk  business." 

"It  is  good,  business  is  good — "  said  Paulina,  sitting 
on  the  sofa. 

"You  know  I  never  married  Naomi;  you  also  know 
she  has  a  monthly  allowance  from  me;  that  she  is  in 
New  York,  where  I  expect  her  to  stay." 

"Ah,  perhaps." 

"And  for  you — well,  you  remember  the  bargain." 

"The  Herr  Waldie  is  rich,  influential — Paulina  is 
poor;  my  son-in-law  is  a  gentleman." 

"Your  son-in-law?" 

"I  will  sell  his  picture — as  an  old  rag,"  she  hissed 


64  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

as  she  pulled  out  the  faded  photograph  she  had  taken 
from  "Snakes"  at  Poplarville. 

"Where  did  you  get  this?" 

"Five  hundred  dollars  for  silence." 

"Why  I  gave  this  to — " 

The  sentence  was  broken  by  Agnes  appearing  at 
the  door. 

"Why,  Paulina,  when  did  you  leave  Poplarville  and 
how  were  the  folks;  what  are  you  doing  in  the  city?" 
said  Agnes,  all  in  a  breath. 

"Poplarville,"  uttered  Bart,  in  a  startled  way. 

"I  know  not;  time  is  a  mystery;  wife,  children,  all," 
responded  Paulina,  with  a  vacant  sigh. 

"Now  you  must  be  tired.  I  want  you  to  do  up  two 
skirts  for  me.  And  remain  for  tea,"  said  Agnes,  as  she 
left  the  room. 

"You  are  in  the  thirteenth  ward,"  continued  Bart. 
"Go  back  to  your  old  work;  here's  $20  for  to-night; 
meet  me  at  the  old  place." 

"And  Naomi  and  the  child?" 

"No  matter  about  that;  go  before  my  wife  returns." 

"The  fraulein— " 

"I  said  my  wife." 

"It  is  final,"  said  Paulina,  with  a  nasal  grunt.  "To 
night  positive?" 

"Yes,  to-night.  Come,  I'll  see  you  out.  Keep 
your  mouth  closed." 

When  she  had  gone  Bart  breathed  easier.  But  he 
had  hardly  been  seated  when  the  door  bell  rang  and 
Schledgmilch  and  McCutcheon  were  shown  in. 

"Have  you  seen  the  evening  paper,  Bart?     Let  us 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  G5 

congratulate  you.  'Our  distinguished  Bart,'  there  it 
is,"  said  Schledgmilch,  showing  him  an  article  in  a 
newspaper.  Now  you  go  for  Tony  and  blister  him." 

"Shake,  pard;  now  you  can  give  us  the  spots.  The 
boys  are  all  shaking  over  this  boodle  sensation,"  said 
McCutcheon,  with  a  knowing  wink. 

''You  two  have  got  nerve,  haven't  you?"  said  Bart, 
rising.  "Everything  is  working  all  right;  there  is  just 
enough  of  a  sensation  over  Tony's  arrest  to  absorb 
the  boodle  sensation.  Elbert  will  pickle  that  young 
monkey,  and  you  two  keep  the  boys  in  line  and  the 
affair  will  soon  blow  over." 

"Like  a  zummer  zephyr,"  ejaculated  the  happy  Ger 
man. 

"Oh,  we  are  always  ready  to  do  the  square  thing," 
said  McCutcheon,  taking  a  seat. 

"The  ladies  are  coming,  keep — " 

Bart  did  not  finish  his  sentence;  it  was  Mrs.  Daniels 
who  swept  in  like  a  puffy  squall. 

"I  told  you  the  nomination  would  be  made;  so 
glad,"  was  her  cordial  greeting  to  Bart. 

"Gentlemen,  Mrs.  Daniels  of  Washington,"  said 
Bart,  introducing  her. 

"Get  on  to  the  swell  outfit;  fifty  dollar  bonnet  and 
trimming  to  match — Washington  pays,"  said  Schledg 
milch  to  McCutcheon,  under  his  breath. 

"She  knows  her  biz,"  responded  McCutcheon. 
"Never  stacked  the  cards,  O,  no.  Let's  mosy,  Gott- 
leib." 

"We  are  sorry  to  expel  ourselves,  Mrs.  Daniels," 
said  Schledgmilch,  starting  towards  the  door;  "we 


C3  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

just  blew  in  to  say  to  the  boss,  'you  do  yourself  proud' 
— cvnin." 

The  t\vo  backed  out  of  the  room  bowing  profusely, 
and  when  they  were  alone,  Mrs.  Daniels  at  once  as 
sumed  a  business-like  air  and  opened  the  conversation 
directly  to  the  point. 

"Now,  Mr.  Waldie,  I  must  take  the  midnight  train 
for  Washington;  I  was  so  in  hopes  of  seeing  Mr.  Ains- 
worth  before  I  left;  but  we  seem  to  have  missed  each 
other  all  day." 

"I  am  expecting  him  every  minute." 

"So  glad;  well,  you  will  give  me  your  check  for 
$3,000  of  course." 

"$2,000  I  thought?" 

"Yes,  $2,000  and  expenses." 

"Suppose  I  write  you  to-morrow." 

"That  would  hardly  do ;  your  check  should  be  made 
out  to  bearer.  But  there!  I  was  telling  you  some 
thing  you  of  course  know  yourself.  You  have  doubt 
less  given  checks  to  bearer  before,"  she  said  with  an 
arch  and  knowing  look. 

"Certainly;  of  course,"  responded  Bart,  rather  net 
tled. 

"Oh,  by  the  way,  Mr.  Waldie,  I  had  last  night  a  fel 
low-passenger  in  the  sleeper  from  New  York.  She 
was  a  lovely  young  creature.  Now  I  remember  she 
moaned  and  tossed  all  night,  crying,  'Bart,  Bart,  you 
will  not  desert  me.'  I  wormed  out  of  her  that  she 
thought  she  was  married  to  Bart,  but  wasn't,  you 
know — mock  ceremony  and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  on 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  67 

the  west  side,  some  five  years  ago.     But  then  Bart  is 
such  a  common  name  you  know." 

"Yes,  yes,  yes,  yes,"  responded  Bart,  nervously. 

"Perhaps  you  better  give  me  the  check  before  I 

go." 

"Yes,  I  think  so." 

"Senator  Forthwith  will  use  his  influence  in  your  be 
half,  and  we  shall  always  be  friends  of  course." 

"Of  course,"  said  Bart,  writing  out  a  check. 

"Kindly  present  my  regards  to  Mrs.  Waldie,"  said 
Mrs.  Daniels,  coolly  folding  the  check.  "Oh,  don't 
disturb  her;  good-night;  many  thanks;  so  glad  to 
meet  you;  au  revoir." 

As  she  started  to  go  through  the  door  she  met  El- 
bert. 

"You  naughty  fellow,  to  dodge  me  all  day — well 
there — I  will  see  you  in  Springfield  next  week  unless 
you  come  to  Washington,"  said  Mrs.  Daniels,  as  she 
swept  out  of  the  room. 

"Whew!"  said  Bart,  sinking  into  his  chair.  "El- 
bert,  is  everything  done  in  the  Tony  Turner  case? 
You  made  the  arrests  this  morning?" 

"Yes,  he  was  arrested,  but  the  case  will  likely  be  put 
off  for  some  time.  Bart,  is  this  invoking  the  law  for 
private  revenge  the  right  thing  to  do? 

"My  dear  fellow,  that  is  what  the  law  is  for,"  said 
Bart,  with  a  smile.  "Tony  Turner  seeks  to  ruin  us 
with  that  boodle  charge.  He  is  guilty  of  bribery. 
Now  let  him  take  his  medicine  in  just  retaliation.  If 
all  cases  of  bribery  were  prosecuted  there  would  be 
fewer  politicians  at  large.  No;  Turner  invited  this  ruin 
upon  himself  when  he  crossed  the  path  of  Boss  Bart." 


68  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

"Then  fly  betimes,  for  only  they 
Conquer  love  who  run  away." 

— Old  English  Song,  Thomas  Carew. 

Through  his  political  associations,  Elbcrt  had  ob 
tained  a  few  large  retainers  from  corporations.  They 
found  him  a  trusty  man,  and  he  modified  his  radical 
views  of  earlier  life  somewhat  as  his  success  advanced. 
And  yet  he  realized  that  most  of  his  good  fortune 
came  directly  through  the  kind  efforts  of  friends.  He 
was  appreciative,  and  it  is  always  a  delight  to  do  a 
favor  and  receive  a  full  measure  of  gratitude  in  re 
turn,  and  he  calculated  on  gratitude  not  only  as  a 
matter  of  principle,  but  of  policy,  believing  that  full 
appreciation  of  one  favor  brings  other  favors. 

Elbert  had  gone  on  a  business  trip  to  the  Pacific 
coast  for  a  corporation  and  was  now  on  his  way  home. 
While  in  the  diner  on  the  overland  limited,  he  fell  into 
conversation  with  a  typical  commercial  man.  Rotund, 
loud-laughing,  hale  fellow,  always  ready  with  a  joke 
or  a  story  and  thoroughly  posted  on  current  news  and 
politics  was  this  knight  of  the  grip,  and  yet,  like  most 
other  human  beings,  he  possessed  a  hobby.  Always 
generous  and  noble  hearted. 

"Have  you  ever  read  Ingersoll?"  he  asked  of  Elbcrr. 

"No,  but  I  have  heard  him  lecture — a  very  fine 
talker." 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  69 

"And  a  thinker,  too,"  responded  the  commercial 
man.  "There's  a  man  with  a  mission.  He  is  deliver 
ing  humanity  from  the  fetich  of  religious  fanaticism 
and  these  haggling  old  hypocrites  called  preachers." 

"Oh,  I  think  you  are  too  severe,"  said  Elbert,  jok 
ingly. 

"Not  at  all.  I've  got  enough  of  'em.  I  was  raised 
under  the  blue  laws,  but  my  children,  Paine  and  Vol 
taire,  will  never  go  through  the  horrors  of  Sunday 
schools  with  their — " 

"Hold  on;  you  ought  to  allow  the  rest  of  humanity 
some  comfort.  Life  is  all  a  delusion  more  or  less, 
and  while  I  am  not  a  church  member  I  have  profound 
respect  for  the  Bible,  and — " 

"Respect?  Stuff!  That  book  is  a  pack  of  vicious 
lies,  a  collection  of  myths.  You  know  the  age  of  rea 
son  repels  such  a  gorgeous  nightmare,  and  only  the 
old  women  idiots — 

"That's  enough,  old  man,"  said  Elbert,  warmly,  ris 
ing,  "I've  a  mother;  she  has  a  religion,  and  when  she 
taught  me  my  prayers  she  taught  me  to  love  her.  Man, 
with  all  your  reason  you've  lost  your  heart.  Give  me 
the  simple  faith  of  my  mother,  and  don't  take  from  her 
in  her  tottering  old  age  the  comfort  and  serenity  of  her 
faith.  My  God,  man,  haven't  you  got  a  mother?" 

"Oh,  yes,  but  you  are  not  old  enough  to  see  through 
these  illusions  and  look  upon  religion  dispassionately, 
without  mawkish  sentiment.  The  hypocrisy  concealed 
in  the  guise  of  religion  is  repellant  to  any  honest  man, 
and  if  my  mother  was  so  foolish — 

"Honest?    And   yet    you    would    steal   away   your 


70  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

mother's  religion!  Come,  old  fellow,  I  don't  want  to 
quarrel;  let  us  drop  the  subject." 

Elbert  had  not  noticed  particularly  the  other  occu 
pants  of  the  car.  An  attractive  young  lady,  with  rich, 
black  eyes  and  expressive  dimples,  had  listened  at 
tentively  to  the  dramatic  conversation,  and  the  elo 
quent  plea  of  Elbert  for  his  mother's  religion.  Ailie 
Chatsworth's  own  mother  had  died  at  the  old  home 
in  Iowa  a  few  months  previous,  and  Elbert's  words 
met  with  a  sympathetic  endorsement. 

The  traveling  man  went  out,  and  left  Elbert  to  fin 
ish  his  meal  in  silence.  He  was  about  to  fold  his 
napkin  and  follow,  when  the  young  lady  came  toward 
him  and  stopped. 

"Don't  think  me  rude,  sir;  but  such  a  mother  de 
serves  a  noble  son.  I  had  a  mother — "  and  she  stop 
ped  suddenly  as  tears  gathered  in  her  eyes. 

"Thank  you.  Our  mothers  ought  to  be  our  relig 
ion,"  he  said  warmly. 

There  was  nothing  strange  in  this  budding  acquaint 
anceship.  The  two  seemed  to  drift  into  conversation. 
They  went  back  to  their  car,  and  Elbert  found  her  a 
charming  companion  and  talked  as  long  as  he  thought 
proper  without  seeming  too  assiduous  or  forward  in 
his  attentions. 

Elbert  found  the  commercial  man  in  the  smoking 
room  entertaining  his  companions  with  vile  stories 
and  reviling  religion.  A  few  words  were  enough  and 
he  went  without  smoking  rather  than  be  irritated  by 
such  viciousness.  He  went  back  to  his  seat  and 
gazed  out  of  the  window;  he  tried  to  sleep  and  read, 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  71 

anything  to  while  away  the  leaden  moments;  but  his 
eyes  would  unconsciously  wander  over  the  top  of  the 
Pullman  seat  in  time  to  catch  a  glance  of  two  dark 
eyes  innocently  looking  that  way  on  some  pretext  or 
other.  Finally  he  threw  off  restraint  and  approached 
her  seat. 

"If  you  don't  mind,  I  am  going  to  talk  with  you. 
These  long  rides  are  very  tedious,"  he  said. 

"Perhaps  you'll  find  talking  with  me  more  so,"  she 
said  modestly,  as  she  made  a  place  for  him  beside 
her. 

He  leaned  back,  tipping  his  hat  over  his  eyes,  and 
started  in  to  tell  his  whole  life's  history,  giving  it  a 
heroic  tinge.  Without  any  real,  defined  purpose  he 
played  upon  mother  love,  music  and  a  fancy  tale  of 
disappointed  love  to  touch  the  very  tendrils  of  a  young 
girl's  heart.  He  even  assumed  the  sad  ways  of  a  genius 
and  his  dainty  fairy  love  romance  was  really  interest 
ing.  After  he  had  allowed  full  play  to  his  imagina 
tion,  he  turned  about  to  catch  a  glance  of  his  compan 
ion  and  found  her  even  prettier  and  more  interesting 
than  he  had  imagined. 

"Where  do  you  reside,  if  I  may  not  be  presumptuous 
in  asking? 

"At  Manston,  Iowa." 

"Why,  that's  only  eight  miles  from  Poplarville,  my 
home,  and  you  kept  quiet  all  this  time  while  I  was  spin 
ning  these  fancy  yarns." 

"T  enjoyed  them,"  she  said,  smiling. 

"I  must  candidJv  confess  that  there  are  trifling  bits 


72  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

of  imagination  in  my  story  that  would  convict  me  of 
prevarication  if  you  knew  the  truth." 

"Don't  mind  it,  I'm  not  going  to  be  severe  with 
you;  but  I've  met  very  few  people  from  Poplarville, 
having  been  away  to  school  for  some  years,  and  it 
seems  so  good  to  meet  some  one  from  home,"  she  said, 
with  a  spirit  of  sweet  candor  in  her  eyes. 

Elbert  continued  the  conversation  as  most  young 
men  of  the  day  would  by  talking  intensely  of  himself, 
his  hopes  and  ambitions  and  ideas.  Shortly  before 
they  were  to  part  he  saw  her  valise  marked,  "Mrs.  M. 
H." 

Great  heavens!  he  thought;  was  she  married?  Well, 
she  had  been  truly  modest  and  only  an  agreeable  trav 
eling  companion  after  all.  But  there  was  something 
that  troubled  him  in  the  thought  that  she  was  married. 

"Are  you — you — you — mar — or  that  is — have  you  a 
— a — umbrel — that  is — a  card?  May  I  call  and  see 
you — that  is — "  mumbled  Elbert,  feeling  himself  grow 
very  foolish. 

"Certainly,  here's  my  card.  Do  come  and  see  us 
when  you  are  at  Poplarville,"  she  said  with  her  sweetest 
smile. 

He  stopped  and  looked  at  the  card.  "Alice  Chats- 
worth,"  he  read  aloud. 

"Pretty  name,"  he  ventured. 

"You  like  it?" 

"Yes.  that  is—" 

"Good-bye,"  she  said,  holding  out  her  hand. 

"Good — good — can  I  be  of  any  service?  Can  I  be 
of  any  service?" 


BOkV5    PART,    POLITICIAN.  73 

Elbert  rushed  out  without  waiting  for  an  answer, 
poking  his  umbrella  into  grumbling  passengers  and 
hurrying  as  if  some  one  were  pursuing  him.  When 
he  had  gone  some  distance  he  stopped  short  and  said 
aloud  to  himself: 

"Say,  I'm  a  fool !  Who  is  this  young  girl  that  should 
make  such  a  dunce  of  me?  I'll  go  right  back  and  just 
let  her  know  that  I  don't  care  a — " 

He  went  back,  but  she  had  gone  and  he  looked  in 
vain  for  his  traveling  companion  about  the  station. 

"I  must  see  her  again  to  explain  myself,  anyhow. 
What  an  awkward  fool  she  must  think  me,"  he  reflect 
ed. 

Just  then  Cupid  ^' 


74  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

"Love  took  up  the  Harp  of  Life, 
And  smote  on  all  the  chords  with  might." 

— Locksley  Hall,  Tennyson. 

It  was  a  favorite  practice  which  Elbert  had  deduced 
from  his  text  book  on  Human  Nature  to  stake  out, 
in  fancy,  his  ambition,  and  then  talk  of  it  as  an  ac 
complished  fact,  depending  on  pride  and  honor  to 
impel  its  achievement.  He  had  a  quick  perception  of 
humanity  and  made  a  close  study  of  human  nature. 
He  noted  how  certain  traits  were  grouped  together 
in  certain  individuals  and  how  similar  characteristics 
resulted  from  similar  environments;  in  fact,  he  made 
a  personal  dissection  of  every  acquaintance  until  he 
had  them  classified  as  accurately  as  he  would  plants 
in  botany.  Similar  impulses  he  conceived  as  belong 
ing  only  to  specific  types  leading  to  certain  well-de 
fined  -emotions. 

But  there  was  one  character  that  puzzled  him  in 
spite  of  his  research.  His  philosophic  rules  all  seemed 
awry  in  one  particular  instance;  he  could  not  fathom 
Allie  Chatsworth.  Was  she  a  sweet  little  winsome 
girl?  Yes.  Was  she  a  coquette,  or  why  had  she  dis 
dained  to  answer  his  letter?  He  began  to  lose  inter 
est  and  ambition  in  his  work. 

"I  must  see  her  and  explain  it  myself,  personally," 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  75 

he  said  one  day  to  Airs.  Waldie,  in  whom  he  had 
confided  as  to  a  sister. 

"And  you   think   of  paying  her  attentions?" 

"No,  I  am  not  in  love.  I  simply  want  to  explain  my 
actions — they  make  me  appear  so  stupid." 

"Not  altogether  without  reason,  Elbert.  But  go 
and  see  your  mother." 

"Then  Miss  Chats\vorth  will  think  I  have  come 
as  a  pretense  to  see  her." 

"Well,  Elbert,  that  is  no  crime." 

Elbert  left  for  Poplarville  that  night,  and  the  next 
morning  he  walked  up  the  old  road  shaded  with  pop 
lars  to  the  corner,  shaking  hands  with  old  friends. 
He  felt  himself  quite  a  personage  in  the  community 
since  he  had  won  the  famous  Housle  divorce  case, 
and  he  unconsciously  sought  by  wearing  gloves,  new 
style  collar,  and  assuming  a  citified  walk  to  impress 
his  growing  importance. 

"Knew  you  would  do  it;  always  said  so,"  said  Dr. 
Buzzer.  "There's  nothing  like  giving  a  young  man  a 
chance,  by  ginger,"  and  the  doctor  blew  his  nose  in 
the  familiar  old  way  as  if  to  accentuate  the  remark 
to  the  group  of  admiring  friends  who  had  gathered 
to  greet  Elbert  about  Jasper's  cobbler  shop. 

"It  is  good  to  be  home  again  and  breathe  the  pure 
air  of  Poplarville  freed  from  the  stuffiness  of  the  city," 
said  Elbert. 

"'Urn!  'Pears  to  me  you  don't  walk  just  as  you 
used  to;  you  land  more  on  your  heel  than  on  the 
sole  of  your  foot,"  said  Jasper,  looking  over  his  spec 
tacles  at  Elbert. 


76  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"It  is  the  city  pavement,  Uncle,"  responded  Elbert, 
with  a  laugh. 

"And  a  lawyer's  consciousness  of  the  uprightness 
of  his  profession,"  interposed  the  judge. 

"Ah!  suppose  so;  country  fellow  shuffles,  city  fel 
low  pegs.  I  see  Abner  coming  down  the  road  and 
his  weather  boots  not  done.  Put  your  foot  up  here 
and  let  me  see.  Just  as  I  thought.  Land  o'  Goshen, 
sole  sound,  and  heels  need  tapping." 

"Welcome  back,  my  boy,"  said  the  judge;  "how 
do  you  like  the  city?  You  left  us  when  quite  young, 
hence  your  impressions  should  be  vivid.  Good  morn 
ing,  Miss  Toots." 

Mary  Jane  could  hold  back  no  longer  to  get  a 
good  look  at  Elbert. 

"Too  much  sewage,  Judge,  and  not  enough  sweet 
ness  and  light,"  continued  Elbert,  after  greeting  Mary 
Jane  heartily.  "Well,  'Snakes,'  how  are  you?' 

"Mother's  dead,  mother's  dead;  didn't  see  her  in 
the  city,  did  you?" 

"No^  'Snakes'." 

"All  right;  I'll  just  go  and  talk  to  mother — moth 
er's  dead,  you  know,"  she  said  as  she  sat  by  an  imag 
inary  grave  of  sand  near  the  hous 

"Abner  Tomer  says  Agnes'  husband  knows  about 
'Snakes';  did  you  hear  anything  about  it?"  inquired 
Mary  Jane  of  Elbert  in  almost  a  whisper,  with  her 
usual  keen  appetite  for  gossip. 

All  this  was  in  the  balmy  month  of  May  when  every 
spot  in  the  universe  seems  in  harmony  with  dreams 
of  budding  love.  There  is  something  in  the  virgin 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  77 

fragrance  of  springtime  that  generates  a  cheerful  and 
happy  spirit.  Elbert  did  not  long  remain  at  the  shop 
and  was  soon  driving  past  the  rich  farms  on  each 
side  of  the  typical  Iowa  highway  to  the  Chatsworth 
place.  He  was  happy,  and  merrily  whistled  the  tunes 
he  used  to  whistle  when  a  boy.  Each  one  of  the 
farms  he  remembered;  this  was  the  old  Edwards 
place;  here  was  Beany  Brown's  lower  farm;  here 
Bobby  Kenster's  old  stone  house,  now  fallen,  in  ruins. 
As  the  farmers  passed  him  on  their  way  to  the  cor 
ners  he  would  recall  their  names  and  titles  in  salut 
ing,  although  they  had  not  been  spoken  to  or  thought 
of  by  him  in  the  years  he  had  been  away.  The  walnut 
grove,  the  old  deserted  stone  quarry,  the  forbidden 
thicket,  where  in  spite  of  warning  notices  the  choice 
May  apples  were  gathered  on  the  banks  of  the  creek. 
All  these  bright  memories  of  childhood;  and  the  re 
flection  came  to  him,  Why  had  he  left  them  all  for 
the  ambitious  life  in  Chicago?  He  inquired  with  some 
timidity  as  to  where  the  Chatsworth  place  was  located. 
It  seemed  peculiar  to  use  that  name  so  freely.  On 
a  hill  surrounded  by  an  evergreen  grove  on  one  side 
and  an  orchard  on  the  other  was  a  white  farm  house, 
close  by,  a  large  red  barn  and  a  village  of  corn-cribs. 
The  white  house,  with  its  green  shutters  and  fore 
ground  of  foliage,  made  a  pretty  rural  picture.  The 
front  garden  and  veranda  were  scrupulously  neat  and 
had  the  appearance  of  not  having  been  used  except 
upon  special  occasions.  As  he  drove  up  to  the  house  a 
typical  Iowa  farmer  came  out  to  meet  him.  A  large 
man  with  wiry  red  chin  whiskers,  and  a  good-natured 


73  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

smile  playing  upon  his  countenance.  There  was  an 
awkward  pause. 

"Is  Miss  Chatsworth  at  home?" 

"I  reckon  so.    Won't  you  put  up  and  come  in?" 

This  rather  relieved  Elbcrt  of  his  embarrassment, 
and  the  farmer  called  out,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye: 
"Jim,  better  put  up  the  team  and  give  'em  a  feed,  as 
they  are  likely  to " 

"Is  Miss  Chatsworth  inside?"  said  Elbert,  striving 
to  check  further  embarrassing  remarks. 

"I  reckon  she's  in  the  dairy  looking  after  the  butter, 
but  I'll  call  her." 

Elbert  was  ushered  into  the  dark  parlor  which  had 
the  air  of  disuse.  The  haircloth  furniture,  the  mahog 
any  what-not,  the  marble  top  center  table,  the  old 
and  rich  Brussels  carpet,  the  square  piano  upon  which 
were  piled  the  portfolios  of  music,  the  embroidered 
motto  over  the  door,  "God  Bless  Our  Home,"  all  in 
dicated  a  prosperous  farmer's  home,  even  if  some 
what  out  of  date. 

There  was  a  movement  at  the  door  and  a  bright 
face  and  dancing  eyes  appeared  which  looked  quite 
familiar.  He  approached  hurriedly. 

"Ah!"  he  said. 

"Oh!"  she  echoed. 

"I  thought  it  was  Miss  Chatsworth,"  he  said,  with 
some  embarrassment. 

"No;  I  am  her  sister.  Allie  is  not  at  home;  she 
will  return  soon.  Won't  you  remain?"  said  the  owner 
of  the  bright  eyes,  motioning  to  the  same  chair  from 
which  he  had  just  risen. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  79 

"Thank  you;  if  you  don't  mind  I  will  wait,"  said 
E.Ibert,  settling  back  rather  shyly. 

"Arc  you  Mr. — Mr. — of  Chicago?" 

"Ainsworth.       Ainsworth  of  Chicago." 

"Oh,  yes;  Allic  has  spoken  of  you  so  often,  and 
she  will  be  delighted  to  see  you.  Now,  I  was  busy 
in  the  dairy.  Will  you  excuse  me  a  minute?" 

She  returned  a  few  moments  later  and  found  Elbert 
studying  a  large  crayon  portrait  over  the  piano. 

"That  is  mamma,  and  we  do  not  use  this  room  much 
since  she  died,"  she  said  with  sweet  and  tender  emo 
tion. 

She  kept  on  busily  chatting,  and  Elbert  was  charm 
ingly  entertained. 

"Veo  is  my  name,"  she  said  naively  to  him.  "They 
call  Allie,  Miss  Chatsworth;  she's  older  than  I  am." 
And  the  eyes  so  much  like  her  sister's  looked  up  at 
him  innocently. 

They  enjoyed  the  afternoon  together  and  Allie  did 
not  arrive  home  until  late.  She  was  very  much  sur 
prised  to  see  Elbert  and  appeared  embarrassed,  but 
with  a  woman's  tact  she  tried  to  be  entertaining.  At 
last  she  had  to  confess  that  she  was  to  "have  com 
pany"  that  evening. 

"I  am  so  sorry,  Mr.  Ainsworth;  I  want  to  see  you 
so  much.  You  will  remain  a  day  or  so  and  could 
call " 

"Yes,  do,"  broke  in  Veo  in  her  girlish  way.  "We 
can  have  a  good  time,  Mr.  Ainsworth." 

He  was  vexed,  and  yet  who  could  be  blamed.  He 
caught  a  glance  of  Veo's  bright  little  smile  and  said: 


80  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"Yes,  I'll  call  again  if  you'll  take  care  of  me." 

"Oh,  I'll  do  that.  Come,  let  us  go  down  and  see 
the  flowers,"  said  Veo,  enthusiastically. 

Allie  remained  in  the  parlor  to  entertain  the  com 
pany  that  evening.  She  was  evidently  the  lady  of 
the  family  and  had  a  large  retinue  of  admirers. 

Veo  related  to  Elbert  her  experiences  at  a  distant 
seminary.  "Papa  wants  me  to  be  a  scholar,  but  I 
love  the  dear  old  farm  best.  I  am  so  sorry  Allie 
couldn't  see  you  to-night.  You  must  be  lonesome." 

It  was  an  honest  expression  of  sympathy,  but  Elbert 
winced.  Then  he  began  to  talk  of  himself  in  the  old 
strain,  and  she  admired  him. 

"I  love  nature,"  he  continued;  "the  flowers,  the  birds, 
and  the  old  trees  at  home  seem  like  dear  old  friends." 

"Well,  that  is  very  pretty  talk;  but  why  aren't  you 
a  farmer,  then?"  she  asked. 

"But  I  am  ambitious  to  rise  in  the  world." 

"Oh,  yes,"  she  answered  with  innocent  admiration. 

The  acquaintanceship  progressed  famously,  and  the 
next  day  he  spent  with  Allie  in  the  house  playing  and 
singing  at  the  piano,  and  inspecting  together  the  like 
nesses  of  all  the  relatives  near  and  distant  from  the 
well-worn  plush  photograph  album.  He  started 
to  explain  his  strange  procedure  at  the  parting  at 
the  railway  station  and  then  changed  his  mind.  The 
next  day  in  leaving,  Veo  and  Allie  both  asked  him  to 
come  again,  but  his  first  ideal  had  fallen.  Galatea  had 
spoken,  but  the  living  marble  was  not  what  he  had 
expected. 

"I'm  muddled,"  he  mused,  as  he  drove  home  be- 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  81 

tween  the  willow  hedges  and  over  rickety  culverts. 

Elbert's  stay  at  Poplarville  was  prolonged  beyond 
his  intentions,  and  his  frequent  drives  into  the  country 
occasioned  more  or  less  gossip  in  the  village.  He  was 
almost  a  daily  caller  at  the  Chatsworth  farm  and  the 
old  farmer  was  quite  favorably  impressed  with  that 
"city  chap."  "He'll  probably  make  a  match  with 
Allie,"  was  his  reflection. 

Like  all  parents  he  was  blind.  It  was  little  Veo 
who  held  Elbert  captive.  She  gave  him  unconsciously 
that  pure,  wholesome,  trusting,  confiding  friendship, 
which  man  most  cherishes.  They  had  many  long  walks 
and  talks  together. 

"Veo,  we  never  seem  to  get  through  talking,"  said 
Elbert  on  the  day  before  leaving.  They  had  wan 
dered  down  the  lane  near  the  old  tree  at  the  corner, 
which  was  always  deserted  early  in  the  evening. 

"I  know  it.  Oh,  I've  had  such  a  happy  time  since 
you  came.  But  then  you  came  to  see — to — to  see 
Allie?" 

"Yes,  and  I  found  you." 

"But  who  is  that  fellow  Bainsley  who  is  so  assidu 
ous  in  his  attentions  to  Allie?" 

"Oh,  he's  our  Sunday-school  superintendent,"  re 
plied  Veo. 

"A  Sunday-school  teacher  eh?  Well,  my  opinion 
of  Sunday-school  men  is  that  they  are  decidedly  ego 
tistical.  They  are  often  cranky  striplings  with  sad  faces, 
attempting  to  teach  children  the  most  sacred  things 
of  life." 

"Well,  who  else  could  we  secure?    They  are  earnest 


82  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

and  sincere  in  the  effort  to  do  good,  and  you  mustn't 
feel  jealous  of  Mr.  Bainsley.  He  and  Allie  only— 

<lBah!  Church  work  is  often  done  for  social  effect 
and  standing.  I  sometimes  think  I  am  almost  a  skep 
tic  in  religion,  although  I  never  could  bring  myself  to 
revile  the  faith  of  my  mother,  and  yet  I  feel  that  there 
is  something  wrong  somewhere." 

"Per'naps  it  is  in  you,"  she  said. 

Here  Elbert  was  again  a  victim  of  the  desire  to 
bring  himself  before  Veo  in  a  heroic  attitude  and 
awaken  her  sympathy. 

"Anyhow,  I  do  not  fancy  the  goody  Sunday-school 
men  of  "the  day." 

"Oh,  Mr.  Ainsvvorth,  don't  let  your  prejudice  de 
stroy  a  simple  faith  in  Jesus.  Dogmas  and  creeds  may 
be  conflicting,  but  Jesus  is  real  to  me." 

"Well,  it's  hard  to  believe  all  these  things  after  one 
has  had  a  broad  knowledge  of  the  world.  It  seems 
incongruous." 

"Oh,  don't  talk  that  way,  Mr.  Ainsworth;  it  cuts  me 
to  the  heart,"  said  Veo,  pleadingly. 

They  were  sitting  on  the  old  tree  that  had  fallen 
and  had  been  converted  into  a  rustic  seat.  The  deep 
ened  twilight  had  crept  upon  them  and  the  plaintive 
chirp  of  the  thrush  broke  the  solitude. 

"You  are  a  noble  little  girl,  Veo — " 

"Mr.  Ainsworth,  let  me  pray  for  you  to-night.  I 
know  you  have  a  kind  and  noble  heart,  and  I  want 
you  to  be  a — a  Christian. 

Her  deep  liquid  eyes  stirred  him  with  the  expression 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  83 

of  a  kindred  soul  in  their  sincerity.  But  her  cheek 
paled  and  her  eyes  dropped  under  his  gaze. 

"Since  mamma  died  I  have  had  no  one  to  talk  to 
like  you,"  she  said. 

He  moved  closer  and  she  looked  up  at  him  again 
with  that  deep,  soulful  glance,  and  impulsively  he 
placed  his  hands  on  her  shoulders,  looking  deep  into 
her  eyes. 

"Veo,  do  you  know  what  love  means?" 

She  did  not  answer,  but  the  very  repression  of 
words  seemed  to  reflect  the  mingled  hope  and  fear  in 
her  heart. 

"Veo,  Veo,"  he  whispered,  drawing  her  to  him. 

She  dropped  back  like  a  tired  child,  and  bending 
over  her  he  looked  into  the  depths  of  those  eyes  which 
spoke  the  truth  her  honest  heart  could  not  conceal. 
The  chasing  shadows  played  upon  her  cheeks  and  he 
leaned  over  her  as  she  lay  upon  his  arm. 

"Veo,  Veo,"  he  repeated  softly,  in  tones  that  could 
not  be  misunderstood.  It  was  love's  sweetest  cadence. 

"I  trust  you,  Elbert." 

For  some  minutes  they  sat  looking  deep  into  each 
other's  souls.  It  was  a  soul  communion — pure  love — a 
welding  of  the  destiny  of  two  lives  by  a  single  spark. 

"Veo,  my  own  love! — my  life!" 

"Oh,  how  happy  mamma  would  be  to  know  you, 
Elbert.  Elbert,  let  me  pray,  I  am  so  happy." 

She  knelt  and  turned  her  eyes  toward  heaven  with 
her  arm  upon  Elbert.  It  was  an  angelic  picture.  Her 
beautiful  black  hair  had  fallen  clown  on  her  shoulders 


84  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

and  again  she  turned  to  him  in  that  simple  trusting 
way. 

"Elbert,  can  you  always  love  a  little  girl  like  me?" 

"Always,  my  little  Veo,"  he  said,  drawing  her  closer. 

"Then  you'll  love  Jesus,  too;  I  know  you  will,  be 
cause  he  has  been  so  kind  to  me." 

Two  lives  were  knit  together  in  that  moment  and 
to  Elbert  it  was  the  supreme  hour  of  his  life. 

"Veo!    All  my  own  Veo!" 

"Yes,  Elbert,  all  yours." 

"Little  girl,  you  do  not  know  all  the  wickedness  of 
the  world  and  of  men.  Are  you  willing  to  leave  the 
old  farm?" 

"Anywhere,  Elbert;  I  trust  you.  Mamma  has  blessed 
her  little  girl." 

There  were  a  few  tears  which  seemed  like  a  gentle 
baptism  of  heavenly  dew.  Hardly  knowing  it,  Elbert 
had  drifted  to  his  fate,  and  he  was  happy. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  85 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

"An  attempt  to  bribe,  though  unsuccessful,  has  been 
holden  to  be  criminal."  — Bouvier. 

It  was  all  like  a  dream  to  Elbert  as  he  walked  back 
to  Poplarville.  He  told  his  mother  of  his  engage 
ment  just  before  leaving  for  Chicago,  and  she  gravely 
asked  him,  "Are  you  sure  she  is  the  right  one,  Elbert?" 

"Quite  sure,  mother.  She  has  a  soul.  Veo  is  my 
ideal  of  trusting  and  pure  womanhood,  and,  mother, 
no  words  carried  the  message  of  love  between  us.  I 
feel  a  purer  and  nobler  man  for  having  won  such  a 
love,  and  you  will  be  a  mother  to  her  and  make  her 
happy,  I  know.  Good-bye." 

''Good-bye,  my  boy.     God  bless  you." 

Elbert  had  been  in  Chicago  scarcely  an  hour  before 
he  was  at  Waldie's  and  had  told  the  story.  They  were 
of  course  very  much  pleased,  and  Mrs.  Waldie  asked: 
''You  are  sure  you  love  her,  Elbert?" 

"Why  are  you  women  so  skeptical?  Cannot  the 
heart  speak  plainer  than  mere  words?" 

"All  right,  Elbert;  I  only  wanted  you  to  make  no 
mistake,  for  destiny  is  often  decided  when  troth  is 
plighted." 

"So  that's  where  you've  been  all  this  time,  is  it?" 
broke  in  Bart,  looking  up  from  his  paper.  "Well,  we 
all  catch  it  at  one  time  or  another.  But  they  have 


86  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

been  raising  the  deuce  in  politics  since  you  left,  and 
I'm  just  now  mapping  out  plans  for  a  fall  campaign." 

"What  seems  to  be  the  matter?"  asked  Elbert. 

"Well,  you  know  political  success  is  not  gained 
without  making  enemies.  Your  acceptance  of  that 
corporation  fee  on  that  western  trip  has  made  it  im 
possible  for  you  to  be  a  candidate." 

"But  what  has  that  to  do  with  it?"  asked  Elbert. 

"Well,"  continued  Bart,  with  a  shrug  and  running 
his  fingers  through  his  curly  hair,  "they  say  you  are 
a  boodler." 

Bart  was  always  prepared  for  emergencies.  The 
opposition  papers  the  next  morning  charged  Bart  and 
Elbert  with  being  boodlers  and  fit  candidates  for 
State's  prison. 

The  friendly  papers  retaliated  by  a  charge  of  bribery 
against  Tony  Turner,  who  was  still  under  arrest,  the 
son  of  a  wealthy  street  railway  owner.  Tony  had 
made  himself  particularly  obnoxious  by  heavy  contri 
butions  to  the  campaign  funds  of  the  opposing  party. 
In  fact,  they  said  that  if  they  could  kill  Tony  off  that 
would  cut  off  the  sinews  of  war  for  the  opposition.  He 
was  a  sort  of  a  cad,  and  was  not  particularly  popular 
even  among  those  with  whom  he  was  politically  identi 
fied.  There  was  just  enough  truth  in  the  charge  of 
bribery  to  silence  his  alleged  supporters,  and  the  for 
mer  friends  of  his  days  of  dissipation  one  by  one  de 
serted  him.  Turner  was  a  particularly  bitter  opponent 
of  Bart  Waldie,  having  defeated  him  in  securing  sev 
eral  large  contracts  by  financially  backing  the  rival 
bidders. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  87 

The  newspapers  which  had  precipitated  the  boodle 
and  bribery  fight  dared  not  stop  now  for  fear  of  public 
opinion  insisting  that  Turner's  money  had  silenced 
them.  The  agitation  grew  into  a  fever  of  public  indig 
nation,  and  even  the  judge  who  granted  young  Turner 
bail  was  censured.  The  populace  were  aroused  and 
seemed  to  want  to  wreak  vengeance  on  Tom  Turner's 
son. 

The  lawyers  with  political  ambitions  were  all  afraid 
to  accept  a  retainer  in  the  case  for  the  defense,  and  yet 
it  was  a  case  that  required  a  semi-political  lawyer. 
Turner  was  seen  in  Elbert's  office,  and  this  at  once 
aroused  the  suspicion  of  gossips.  Later  young  Tur 
ner's  mother  accompanied  him  to  Elbert's  office. 

Elbert  had  been,  in  local  political  affrays,  Turner's 
direct  political  opponent. 

"Ainsworth,  for  God's  sake  take  this  case.  I  am 
innocent.  Here's  my  mother  to  plead  with  you ;  name 
your  price." 

"Yes,  Mr.  Ainsworth,"  broke  in  the  mother.  "You 
are  too  much  of  a  man  to  stand  by  and  see  an  innocent 
boy  suffer." 

"Madam,  I  am  afraid  I  shall  have  to  return  the  same 
answer  I  have  given  your  son.  I  cannot  take  the 
case,"  said  Elbert,  firmly. 

"But  why?"  pleaded  Tony. 

"To  be  perfectly  frank,  I  am  already  under  sus 
picion.  You  surely  understand  my  situation.  It 
would  make  a  breach  between  Bart  Waldie,  the  best 
friend  I  ever  had,  and  mvself;  besides — " 


88  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"But  this  is  a  case  of  law,  not  politics,"  said  the 
mother. 

"Yes,  Madam,  but  you  know  politics  creeps  into 
everything  nowadays.  It  may  be  well  disguised,  but  it 
is  there." 

"Ainsworth,  your  fee  would  be  more  than — 

"Stop!  I'm  not  to  be  bought.  Your  millions  would 
not  tempt  me." 

"Yes;  but  they  are  killing  me — a  victim  of  black 
mailers  and  political  plotters.  I  would  not  care  for 
myself,  but  poor  mother!  It  is  killing  her." 

"Mr.  Ainsworth,  as  a  lawyer  you  took  an  oath,  and 
your  honor  and  duty  demands  that  you  do  not  refuse 
a  retainer  offered  to  further  the  ends  of  justice,  no 
matter  how  it  may  conflict  with  political  affiliations," 
said  the  mother. 

"Well,  I  will  think  it  over  and  give  you  an  answer 
to-morrow,"  said  Elbert,  going  to  the  door  with  them. 

After  they  had  retired  a  telegram  was  handed  to 
Elbert.  The  language  was  rather  strange  for  a  mes 
sage;  it  read:  "Dear  Elbert — Defend  Tony  Turner; 
he  is  innocent,  I  know.  He  spent  last  summer  here 
and  he  is  a  noble  fellow.  Your  Veo." 

Tony  a  rival  for  Veo's  love,  and  now  defend  him? 
Never.  This  quite  convinced  Elbert  that  he  should 
refuse  the  case,  and  yet  here  was  an  urgent  request 
from  his  future  wife.  It  was  a  difficult  problem. 
Should  he  clear  a  rival  in  love,  make  a  breach  with 
Bart,  his  best  friend,  destroy  his  promising  political 
aspirations,  all  for  the  sake  of  a  lawyer's  fee? 

"Well,  I'll  go  and  see  Mrs.  Waldie  about  it."    He 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  S3 

found  her  in  a  sad  mood  and  alone,  Bart  having  gone 
to  "set  up  the  pins  down  town,"  as  he  said. 

"Elbert,  this  political  life  is  killing  poor  Bart,"  she 
said. 

''I  know  it,  and  it  is  killing  us  all;  I  am  afraid  his 
prestige  is  waning,  and  to  be  defeated  would  crush 
him.  He  has  just  ordered  three  hundred  and  six  bar 
rels  of  flour  distributed  in  hopes  of  helping  matters." 

"But  Bart  is  at  heart  a  generous  fellow,  politics  or 
no  politics,"  said  the  wife,  feeling  a  little  hurt  that 
anyone  should  say  an  ill  word  of  her  husband. 

Elbert  then  related  the  circumstances  in  reference  to 
the  Turner  case;  also  showing  her  the  telegram  from 
Veo.  Mrs.  Waldie  studied  a  minute  and  then  arose 
with  that  queenly  flash  in  her  deep  blue  eyes  he  re 
membered  so  well. 

"Do  your  duty  as  a  man,  Elbert,  next  as  a  lawyer; 
but  kill  political  ambition  rather  than  let  it  cost  you 
your  manhood." 

"But  it  will  make  trouble  between  Bart  and  me — " 

"It  does  not  matter,"  she  answered ;  "your  manhood 
is  at  stake.  If  that  young  man  is  innocent — defend 
him.  That  is  clearly  your  duty." 

"But  supposing  Bart — "  remonstrated  Elbert. 

"Trust  Bart's  generosity.  But  even  if  it  does  create 
a  breach,  better  that  than  personal  and  professional 
dishonor.  Elbert,  be  a  man,  brave  and  true,  no  matter 
how  precarious  the  reward  may  seem." 

The  decision  was  made. 

The  announcement  of  his  decision  to  Mrs.  Turner 
and  her  son  was  delayed  several  days,  owing  to  a  crisis 


90  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

in  the  local  political  situation  which  kept  him  away 
from  his  office.  Turner  and  his  mother  naturally  con 
cluded  that  Elbert's  absence  was  merely  an  evasion 
to  indicate  a  negative  answer,  and  they  were  discour 
aged. 

Bart  Waldie  had  been  busy  night  and  day  seeing 
that  the  primaries  were  all  carried  for  his  candidates. 
A  spasmodic  wave  of  reform  worried  the  machine 
manipulators  somewhat,  but  the  reformers  were  dis 
organized  and  lacked  the  real  spirit  of  reward  which 
animated  the  cohorts  of  Boss  Bart.  Waldie  had  been 
busy  visiting  all  of  the  critical  wards  in  the  city  during 
the  day,  and  a  drink  of  liquor  here  and  there  had 
almost  resulted  in  intoxication,  but  his  intellect  seemed 
keener  than  ever  to  see  the  weak  points  along  the 
line. 

"Elbert,  you  must  see  to  that  ward  of  Hunkey- 
Dorey.  Cacklin  will  have  to  be  renominatcd  for  alder 
man  to  get  him  out  of  Jenkins'  way  for  sheriff." 

"Shall  I  talk  to  them?" 

"No;  try  and  steer  Cacklin.  He  thinks  he  is  an 
orator.  Cultivate  him  and  he  is  good  for  a  thousand 
in  the  fall  campaign  fund." 

A  glimpse  into  the  caucus  methods  then  in  vogue 
had  disgusted  Elbert  pretty  thoroughly  with  politics 
as  a  career.  Alderman  Cacklin  and  other  distinguished 
saloon  men  had  looked  to  Bart  for  the  brains  and  they 
kept  the  reserves  ready  to  carry  any  caucus  at  a  mo 
ment's  notice.  The  crowd  would  simply  rush  into  the 
place  where  the  caucus  was  to  be  held,  shouting  for 
their  own  chairman,  and  when  he  was  elected  he  in 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  91 

turn  recognized  only  his  own  men.  All  this  is  legal 
because  it  is  the  will  of  the  majority.  The  influence 
of  the  tough  element  was  positive,  while  that  of  the 
better  class  was  negative. 

An  attempt  had  been  made  by  a  number  of  respecta 
ble  citizens  in  Cacklin's  ward  to  hold  a  caucus,  and 
Hunkey-Dorey,  the  renowned  plugger,  had  just  com 
pleted  the  work  of  routing  them  and  securing  Cacklin's 
nomination  as  alderman.  Hunkey-Dorey  stood  on  a 
billiard  table,  triumphant  in  his  glory.  The  room  was 
dense  with  tobacco  smoke  and  very  convenient  to 
Cacklin's  saloon  in  the  rear.  The  newly  nominated 
alderman  was  escorted  in  by  a  committee  and  after 
a  polite  bow  and  his  blushes  had  subsided  he  read  a 
piece  which  had  been  prepared  for  him,  and  the  crowd 
applauded  every  time  he  stopped  for  breath.  He  said: 

"Fellow  citizens — Like  my  illustrious  colleague, 
Dave,  I  am  a  good  citizen.  I  wish  to  say  that  I  am 
proud  that  I  am  a  good  citizen.  There  hasn't  been  a 
scrap  in  this  ward  to-day.  No  policeman  has  been 
called  into  this  convention  except  to  get  a  cigar.  I 
do  not  wish  to  be  ambiguous,  so  I  here  and  now  state 
my  platform  in  words  of  no  uncertain  tone.  My  object 
if  I  am  again  elected  shall  be  to  repeal  the  law  pro 
hibiting  saloons  from  remaining  open  all  night.  I  be 
lieve  in  base  hits  and  competition.  Thank  you.  Will 
you  join  me?" 

The  reserves  were  not  long  in  joining — in  fact  that 
was  the  exceedingly  interesting  part  of  the  proceed 
ings. 


92  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

That  night  Bart  and  Elbert  were  talking  over  the 
campaign. 

"This  is  the  last  time  we  are  going  through  with 
this  kind  of  work,  my  boy.  You've  been  true  blue  and 
will  not  be  forgotten." 

"Bart,  I  feel  as  if  it  were  all  wrong." 

"Well,  we  have  this  material  in  the  sovereign  voter — 
some  party  will  utilize  it,  and  why  not  us  as  well  as 
the  other  fellows?" 

"Yes;  but  I'm  through  with  it  now." 

"You  stay  by  your  friends,  and  you're  all  right. 
We'll  get  some  juicy  plums  out  of  this  deal.  I  want 
you  to  go  to  Congress,  Blbert,  some  day.  You  will 
be  an  honor  to  us." 

"It  is  not  unpleasant  to  contemplate." 

"It  is  a  sure  thing.  You've  been  too  loyal  to  your 
friends  not  to  succeed.  Political  succession  grows  like 
-everything  else.  But  there  are  some  ugly  political 
complications  just  now — but  then,  we'll  talk  it  over 
•to-morrow." 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  93 


CHAPTER  XV. 

"I  am  armed  with  more  than  complete  steel — 
The  justice  of  my  quarrel." 
— "Hero  and  Leander,"  Christopher  Marlowe. 

As  Elbert  sat  on  the  edge  of  his  bed  and  reflected 
the  following  morning,  he  felt  that  a  storm  was  com 
ing.  The  longed-for  favorable  decision  was  given  to 
Tony  Turner,  whom  he  found  awaiting  him  at  his 
office.  The  young  man  fairly  hugged  Elbert  with  joy, 
and  his  worried  mother  who  was  with  him  gave  him 
a  grateful  smile  which  Elbert  felt  guilty  in  receiving. 
Veo  had  arrived  that  day  to  visit  with  Agnes,  and 
Elbert  was  anxious  to  get  home,  as  they  were  pre 
paring  for  a  cosy  little  dinner,  "just  we  four  together," 
as  Veo  said  as  she  went  out  to  help  Agnes  prepare 
the  meal. 

"Well,  old  man,  we  will  have  that  young  monkey 
of  a  Turner  pickled,  and  then  we  will  have  smooth 
sailing.  It's  all  fixed;  you  are  to  steer  for  the  con 
gressional  nomination,  and  if  you  get  it  you  are  cer 
tain  of  an  election  no  matter  what  happens,"  said 
Bart,  settling  down  with  a  satisfied  air. 

"But,  Bart,  I  am  to  defend  Turner,"  said  Elbert. 
Defend  what?    Are  you  crazy?    What  are  you  talk 
ing  about?"  said  Bart,  getting  up  excitedly. 

"I  have  accepted  a  retainer  to  defend  Turner,  and — 


94  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"Sold  out,  and  by  you!  Elbert,  my  God!  Say  that 
you  are  joking,"  said  Bart,  with  his  eyes  flashing. 

"It  is  true,"  responded  Elbert,  firmly. 

"What,  what,  defend?  Are  you  crazy,  or  mad,  or 
jealous,  or  what?" 

"None  of  these.  I  am  simply  doing  what  appears 
to  me  to  be  right  under  the  circumstances." 

"Why  boy!  right?  right?  You  a  traitor,  you, 
to  knife  me  at  this  critical  moment.  By  God,  you 
young  snip,  you  will  find  it  don't  pay." 

"Bart,  listen;   there  is  a  reason." 

"Reason  be  damned;  what  reason  can  excuse  your 
treachery?  You  know  Bart  Waldie  can  be  a  foe  as 
well  as  a  friend." 

"Bart,  don't  lose  your  head — you  have  been  a  father 
to  me.  In  defending  Turner  I  am  simply  doing  my 
duty  as  an  attorney;  some  other  lawyer  will  prosecute 
your  case  just  as  well  as  I,  and  perhaps  better." 

"Don't  talk  like  a  ninny;  there's  some  other  reason; 
what  is  it?" 

Veo  and  Agnes  came  into  the  room,  having  heard 
the  stormy  words  between  the  two  men. 

"Yes,  Mr.  Waldie,  there  is  another  reason.  Tony 
Turner  is  my  cousin,"  said  Veo,  coming  towards  him. 

"Oh,  that's  it?"  sneered  Bart.  "And  are  you  not 
ashamed  to  listen  to  silly  women  who  know  nothing 
of  the  affairs  of  the  world ;  how  much  money  did  you 
get?" 

"Bart,  you  are  going  too  far,"  said  Agnes;  "Elbert 
has  served  you  faithfully.  He  thinks  it  his  duty  to 
appear  for  Tony  now."  . 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  95 

"Stop  there;  I  am  master  in  this  house  and  I  don't 
wish  to  hear  another  word  from  you.  As  for  you,  sir, 
you  will  find  other  quarters  at  once;  no  traitors  in 
my  camp;  what's  the  bribe  you  got  from  Turner?" 

"Bart  Waldie,  you  are  a  contemptible  liar!"  said 
Elbert,  starting  toward  him  with  clenched  fists. 

Veo  screamed  and  Agnes  coolly  placed  herself  be 
tween  the  enraged  men. 

"Now  get  out;  I  will  teach  you  a  lesson  to  remem 
ber,"  said  Bart,  hotly.  "I  stay  by  my  friends  through 
thick  and  thin,  but  my  enemies  I  crush." 

"Come,  let  us  be  men,"  implored  Elbert. 

"Go,"  hissed  Bart,  furiously. 

"Bart,"  interposed  Agnes. 

"You,  too,  if  you  say  another  word,"  he  said,  turn 
ing  to  her  savagely. 

"Oh,  Bart,"  sighed  Agnes  piteously,  as  Elbert  led 
the  two  ladies  from  the  room,  without  a  glance  back 
towards  Bart. 

When  alone  Bart  took  the  faded  likeness  given  him 
by  Paulina  from  his  desk. 

"Oh,  Naomi,  Naomi!    Oh!    God  forgive  my  sins!" 

The  lull  had  come  after  the  storm. 

******* 

Veo  returned  home,  and  Blbert  plunged  into  the 
work  connected  with  the  trial  with  all  the  vigor  of 
youth,  and  with  the  feeling  that  he  was  in  the  right, 
but  realizing  that  it  blasted  his  bright  political  pros 
pects.  The  trial  was  one  of  the  most  notable  in  the 
city  during  that  year,  and  the  wonderful  power  of 
Elbert  and  his  assistant  counsel  seemed  almost  super- 


56  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

human,  because  they  were  thoroughly  prepared  with 
strategic  points  and  had  unearthed  a  large  amount  of 
unexpected  evidence.  The  beginning  of  the  trial  was 
decidedly  unfavorable  for  Turner,  but  the  very  oddity 
and  unexpectedness  of  every  play  on  the  legal  chess 
board  confused  the  prosecution.  The  state's  attorneys 
in  their  blind  semi-political  vindictiveness  neglected 
to  take  note  of  the  law  of  reaction. 

In  his  closing  plea  Elbert  said: 

"I  am  here  a  poor  man's  son  to  plead  for  the  rich 
man's  son." 

He  reviewed  carefully  the  testimony  of  the  state, 
showing  that  it  was  thoroughly  colored  with  malice 
and  concluded  with  a  simple  but  sincere  plea  for  justice 
and  humanity,  insisting  that  the  angry  mob  spirit 
should  not  rule.  Young  Turner  sat  near  by,  pale  and 
excited,  the  victim  of  dissipation  and  now  of  worry, 
feeling  deeply  a  degradation  in  having  his  mother's 
name  dragged  into  criminal  court.  Elbert  attempted 
to  shield  none  of  his  client's  faults,  and  his  earnest  and 
candid  statement  as  to  his  own  personal  connection 
with  the  case  was  thrilling.  He  was  an  orator  who 
could  move  men,  and  felt  that  the  jury  was  with  him. 
He  had  carefully  studied  each  of  the  twelve  men,  and 
in  reality  made  twelve  separate  pleas.  He  played  upon 
the  twelve  individuals  as  upon  so  many  strings  of  a 
harp,  and  the  effect  was  magical. 

"I  am  right — God  knows  I  am  right!"  were  his 
closing  words,  and  they  were  spoken  with  an  earnest 
ness  which  thrilled  his  auditors. 

The  jury  retired  and  had  been  out  twenty-four  hours 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  97 

without  reaching  a  verdict.  This  was  a  surprise,  as 
the  general  opinion  had  prevailed  that  a  verdict  of 
guilty  would  be  a  question  of  only  a  few  moments' 
consideration  by  the  jury,  and  there  were  black  hints 
as  to  Turner's  money  "hanging  the  jury." 

The  verdict  was  announced  the  following  afternoon, 
when  young  Turner  and  his  mother  had  returned  to 
the  court  room  after  a  night  of  terrible  suspense,  and 
in  a  way  it  was  unexpected. 

"Not  guilty,"  spoke  the  foreman  of  the  jury  in  sol 
emn  tones. 

For  Elbert  it  was  a  great  legal  victory,  but  in  the 
breach  with  Waldie  he  suffered  the  loss  of  a  kind 
friend,  and  it  stung  him  bitterly  to  be  looked  upon  as 
an  ingrate. 

A  fee  of  five  thousand  dollars  was  paid  to  him,  and 
yet  what  was  that  in  comparison  with  his  lost  political 
honors  and  Bart  Waldie's  friendship.  In  fact  the  legal 
victory  virtually  destroyed  his  law  practice.  Many 
of  his  old  clients  deserted  him,  but  he  still  felt  that  he 
was  in  the  right.  A  little  square  envelope  brought  him 
a  message  that  he  knew  would  prove  that  he  was 
right. 

"My  own  dear  Elbert:  You  noble  boy — all  for  me 
you  cleared  poor  Cousin  Tony;  but  I  knew  he  was 
innocent.  What  a  relief  to  his  mother.  Oh,  my  noble 
knight;  how  your  little  Veo  loves  you!  I  always 
keep  the  shield  of  your  love  bright  and  shining,  like 
Elaine,  but  you  will  not  leave  me  like  Lancelot,  will 
you,  my  own  darling  Elbert?  I  am  so  happy  and 
proud  of  you.  Your  own  Veo." 


03  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

''That  settles  it,"  reflected  Elbert,  jumping  up. 
"We'll  be  married  while  this  fee  lasts  and  not  take 
chances  on  another."  And  he  wrote  and  asked  for  a 
date  for  their  wedding. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  99 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

"Bring  flowers,  bring  flowers  for  the  bride  to  wear." 

— Mrs.  Hemans. 

A  wedding  in  Poplarville  even  in  this  decade  was 
an  interesting  event.  There  was  in  it  just  enough  of 
the  reflection  of  city  life  to  give  the  contrast.  In  the 
Chatsworth  neighborhood  the  wedding  of  Veo  and  her 
"city  fellow"  was  looked  forward  to  as  the  particular 
event  of  the  year.  The  preparations  were  very  elab 
orate.  Allie  had  been  married  since  Elbert's  first  visit, 
but  it  was  a  wedding  that  did  not  attract  general  in 
terest  in  the  neighborhood,  as  Allie  had  been  absent 
so  much  of  recent  years  that  she  had  rather  drifted 
away  from  the  close  affections  of  the  neighbors.  But 
little  Veo  was  endeared  because  in  spite  of  her  sem 
inary  culture  she  still  loved  the  farm  and  was  proud 
of  being  a  farmer's  daughter.  She  had  been  the  spe 
cial  favorite  of  her  mother,  and  her  simple,  outspoken 
and  sympathetic  nature  was  lovable;  always  happy, 
her  winsome  ways  made  friends  of  all  with  whom  she 
came  in  contact.  The  women  of  the  neighborhood 
all  joined  in  the  preparations  of  the  wedding  feast, 
which  was  to  be  such  an  one  as  only  farmers'  wives 
could  provide. 

There  was,  too,  a  strained  relation  between  Allie 
and  her  husband  and  Veo  and  Elbert  because  of  the 
suppressed  feeling  by  the  former  that  the  father  would 


100  BOSS   BART,    POLITICIAN. 

favor  the  younger  daughter  in  his  will.  Mr.  Chats- 
worth  was  reputed  to  be  well-to-do,  and  the  young 
men  were  looked  upon  to  some  extent  as  heiress  hunt 
ers. 

Elbert  arrived  a  few  days  prior  to  the  wedding  and 
found  Veo  very  busy  and  very  happy. 

"Oh,  Elbert,  I  am  so  glad  you've  come.  My  noble- 
boy !  Now  you  can  help  me  plan.  There's  ice  cream 
and  fruit  and  pressed  chicken  to  be  looked  after,  and 
I  want  everything  all  right  for  you,  my  dear." 

"But,  little  one,  don't  overwork;  why  all  this  fuss 
for  me?" 

''Elbert,  a  girl  loves  to  have  a  big  wedding  when 
she  has  such  a  fine,  noble  husband  as  you  are;  I  want 
all  the  neighbors  to  see  you;  I  am  not  selfish,  and 
you  like  it,  don't  you,  dear?" 

"Yes,  yes,"  he  answered,  with  a  resigned  air. 

They  were  leisurely  walking  down  the  old  familiar 
lane  to  the  corners. 

"You  are  a  noble  little  girl,  Veo,"  said  Elbert,  trying 
to  find  new  phrases  in  which  to  express  his  love. 

"And  always  yours,  Elbert." 

"Always — and  a  day." 

"Let  me  have  you  five  minutes  all  to  myself  before 
the  ceremony.  You  have  been  gone  so  long.  Every 
body  will  want  to  talk  to  you." 

"It  does  seem  an  age." 

"And  then  you  were  only  back  for  a  day." 

"Little  girl,  are  you  willing  to  leave  the  old  farm 
for  the  city?" 

"Anywhere,  Elbert,  with  you." 

"You  little  angel." 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  101 

**Just  think,  Veo,  this  is  the  same  spot  where  we 
were  betrothed  a  little  over  a  year  ago." 

"And  I  do  believe  that  is  the  same  thrush  that  made 
her  nest  then." 

"And  the  same  cat-bird  that  called  to  us,  'I  see 
you'." 

"Every  day  I  have  come  to  the  old  tree  while  you 
were  making  your  way  in  Chicago,  until  Uncle  Jasper 
and  'Snakes'  have  got  tired  of  seeing  me." 

"Snakes"  was  coming  toward  them,  muttering: 
"You  back  again ;  come  for  the  funeral,  eh?  Mother's 
dead." 

"You  must  not  mind  'Snakes,'  Elbert;  she  does  not 
always  quite  know  what  she  says,"  said  Veo,  as  Elbert 
watched  "Snakes"  sitting  by  the  imaginary  grave. 

Abner  Tomer  passed  by  just  then  and  hailed  Veo. 

"Your  father's  looking  for  you  to  come,  Veo ;  heaps 
of  things  to  do  before  sundown,  if  you're  making  to 
.get  hitched.  How'dy,  Elbert." 

"How  are  you,  Deacon  Tomer.  Hope  the  church 
has  been  flourishing,"  said  Elbert,  good-naturedly. 

"Nothin',  nothin'  out  o'  common.  There's  talk  of 
one  of  them  railroads  through  our  village,  so'm  told; 
never  want  to  see  one  of  the  darned  things;  they  run 
on  iron." 

"This  is  an  age  of  machinery,  Deacon,"  said  Elbert. 

"And  mother's  dead,"  added  "Snakes." 

"Darn  the  women,  anyhow,"  said  Abner,  seeing 
"Snakes."  "There's  that  child  of  Bart's — but  that's 
a  long  story.  Veo,  Veo,  child,  run  home;  your  pap's 
missing  you.  Mister  City-chap,"  he  continued  to  El- 


102  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

bert,  "this  may  be  an  age  of  machinery,  but  I'll  be 
darned  if  I  want  to  be  buried  by  machinery.  Tears 
to  me  your  collar's  kind  of  stiff,  too;  ironed  by  ma 
chinery,  so'm  told.  Paper  ones  are  good  enough  for 
me." 

With  this  declaration  he  shuffled  off  up  the  lane, 
whipping  the  weeds  with  his  cane. 

"What  are  you  doing  there,  pet?"  asked  Elbert, 
turning  to  Veo. 

"Oh,  only  my  daily  crumbs  for  the  birds,"  she  said, 
as  she  scattered  a  handful  and  the  flock  of  birds  fed 
upon  them  in  the  road  near  by. 

"Sweet  girl,  you  are  giving  me  more  than  crumbs  of 
comfort,"  said  Elbert;  "our  nest  will  be  as  peaceful  and 
homelike  as  theirs." 

"Yes,  and  filled  with  as  many  young  ones,"  cried 
out  Jasper  from  inside  of  the  shop  where  he  was  at 
work.  He  was  afraid  the  young  lovers  might  get 
too  much  interested.  "Don't  forget  the  Bengalese 
proverb:  'Love  like  a  creeper  withers  and  dies  if  it 
has  nothing  to  embrace.'  The  home's  the  thing  to 
hold  the  conscience  of  your  king,"  he  continued,  crit 
ically  examining  his  work  while  he  was  talking.  "Glad 
to  see  you,  Elbert,  back  safe  and  sound,  but  we  are  all 
sorry  to  lose  Veo.  Now,  as  Aristotle  says,  page  24 — 
but  the  lovers  had  escaped  up  the  road  out  of  hearing. 

They  had  not  gone  far  when  they  met  Mary  Jane 
bustling  down  the  lane,  with  a  regiment  of  helpers, 
putting  the  finishing  touches  to  the  bridal  bower 
located  under  the  old  tree  at  the  corners. 

"Land  o'  Goshen,  you  here  yet!"  said  she  to  Veo. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  103 

"Child,  come  in  and  get  a  shawl  to  put  around1  you, 
and  then  run  in  while  I  finish  getting  out  the  baking." 

Veo  gave  a  longing  look  at  Elbert  and  left  to  go 
into  the  house.  For  a  while  all  was  confusion  in  the 
final  preparations  for  the  wedding. 

"My  stars  alive!  But  you  folks  is  the  dawdlest  pas- 
sel  of  people  in  seven  corners.  Sundown  here — folks 
a-comin',  the  elder  in  sight  and  nothin'  done.  Snakes, 
get  in  them  pies;  Simon,  put  that  festoon  the  other 
way,"  fairly  screamed  Mary  Jane  to  those  at  work. 

"Let  me  help,  Mary  Jane,"  said  Shandy,  as  he 
started  to  go  off  with  a  pie. 

"Put  down  that  pie,  Shandy;  if  it  gets  into  your 
hands  no  one  else  will  get  a  taste  of  it.  That's  choice, 
filled  with  gooseberry." 

It  was  in  the  early  autumn  and  it  was  Veo's  fancy 
to  be  married  under  the  old  tree  where  their  love  mes 
sage  had  been  spoken. 

"To  me  it  is  a  sacred  spot,  Elbert,  and  it  always 
brings  back  such  happy  memories,"  she  urged  when 
the  choice  was  made. 

The  ceremony  was  to  occur  at  twilight  in  God's  own 
temple  to  the  music  of  rustling  leaves. 

At  an  early  hour  the  local  Methodist  minister  and 
his  family  of  ten  arrived.  An  elderly  man  with  long 
beard  and  smooth  upper  lip.  Later  the  neighbors 
came  pouring  in.  The  teams  were  "put  up"  and  every 
one  prepared  for  a  good  time  at  Veo's  wedding.  Of 
course  there  were  many  green  country  boys  and  girls 
there  who  had  never  been  out  in  society  much,  and 
the  city  fellows  vr;*h  new  style  collars  tried  to  be  par- 


104  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

ticularly  at  ease  and  overwhelmingly  impressive.  The 
country  guests  gathered  in  chairs  placed  in  rows  along 
the  walls  of  the  room  of  Mary  Jane's  cottage,  and  sat 
there  as  solemnly  as  at  a  funeral.  A  few  were  courage 
ous  enough  to  peep  through  the  double  glass  at  stereo 
scopic  views;  others  sat  and  gazed  at  the  walls  and  the 
dangling  glass  prisms  of  the  hanging  lamp.  The  guests 
were  first  ushered  into  a  typical  farmhouse  chamber, 
where  wraps  were  removed.  The  rag  carpet  of  fan 
tastic  colors,  the  valanced  drapery  about  the  bed  and 
pitcher  with  the  splasher  behind,  embroidered  with 
letters  inviting  to  the  morning  bath,  gave  an  air  of 
sweet  home  comfort,  Mary  Jane's  ideal. 

At  the  appointed  hour  the  bridal  couple  came  down 
stairs. 

Elbert  stately  and  handsome,  but  nervous,  and  Veo 
blushing  and  more  beautiful  than  ever,  reaching  up 
to  her  lover's  arm,  perfect  in  her  radiant  happiness. 

As  they  passed  by  the  parlor  door  the  bridal  chorus 
from  "Lohengrin"  was  played  on  the  piano  at  double 
quick  tempo,  with  a  charming  flavor  of  Wagner  in 
the  chords,  by  reason  of  the  piano  being  out  of  tune. 
The  guests  remained  in  the  parlor  until  the  bridal 
party  had  passed  out,  and  then  joined  the  procession 
and  formed  a  semi-circle  about  the  bridal  bower.  The 
soft  twilight  seemed  to  give  the  scene  a  weird  and 
solemn  aspect,  and  even  Nature  mingled  congratula 
tions,  as  scarcely  had  the  words  been  spoken  pro 
nouncing  them  husband  and  wife  when  a  shower  of 
autumn  leaves  fell  upon  them  as  a  benediction.  The 
elder,  in  his  homely  but  eloquent  prayer,  referred  to 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  105 

"'the  sainted  mother  in  heaven,"  and  many  eyes 
moistened  as  he  nearly  broke  down.  They  sang  the 
doxology,  "Praise  God  from  whom  all  blessings  flow," 
and  that  seemed  to  clear  the  atmosphere.  Then  Elder 
Whoops  proclaimed  proudly:  "Now  let  me  introduce 
you  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ainsworth;  Elbert,  allow  me  to 
congratulate  you;  and  Veo,  well — I've  got  to  set  the 
fashion,"  and  he  kissed  her  with  a  hearty  smack. 

After  Farmer  Chatsworth  came  Jasper  and  the  doc 
tor,  as  they  struggled  to  speak  the  words  of  congratu 
lation. 

"Now,  folks,  come  right  in,"  said  Mary  Jane,  grand 
marshal  of  the  day,  "the  victuals  are  getting  cold. 
Elder  Whoops,  lead  the  way  there.  Melancthon,  you 
wait  until  the  children  are  helped.  Here,  the  bride 
next — that's  right — no,  go  right  in;  there's  room  for 
all." 

A  young  man  from  the  city  had  gallantly  kissed  the 
bride  and  wished  her  joy,  but  the  blushing  country 
boys  only  shook  hands  and  mumbled,  "How  are  ye? 
Glad  to  meet  ye,"  scarcely  daring  to  look  at  Veo, 
whom  their  honest,  noble  hearts  worshiped  as  a  queen. 

We  love  to  linger  in  these  happy  memories  of  wed 
dings.  The  feast  and  music  soon  loosened  the  reserve 
•of  the  country  boys  and  girls,  who  at  first  looked  upon 
Elbert  as  something  of  a  usurper.  After  the  guests 
had  nearly  all  gone,  Elbert  and  Veo  inspected  the  array 
of  wedding  presents.  There  were  quilts  and  pillow 
shams,  plush  albums  and  splashers  by  the  dozen, 
knives  and  forks,  spoons,  and  a  formidable  array  of 


106  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

perfumery  bottles,  and  innumerable  trinkets  and  use 
ful  articles  for  housekeeping  equipment. 

"So  kind  of  them,  Elbert.  I  love  them  all,  and  they 
love  you,  my  true  knight,"  said  Veo,  proudly.  Just 
then  they  were  interrupted  in  their  pleasant  reveries. 

"By  gosh,  I  forgot  one  thing,"  said  Gee  Watkins, 
just  coming  up.  "The  boys  sent  me  up  with  this. 
Ha!  ha!" 

It  was  a  baby  carriage,  and  there  was  a  chorus  of 
titters  behind  the  hedge. 

"All  right,  Gee.  Thank  you  very  much,"  said  Veo, 
pleasantly. 

"Good-bye,  good-bye,  Veo.  What  will  we  do  at 
singing-school  without  you?" 

"Oh,  you'll  find  some  other  girl,"  said  Veo,  merrily. 
"Good-bye." 

Before  going  into  the  house,  Elbert  and  Veo  wan 
dered  over  to  the  wedding  bower.  The  candles  and 
the  Chinese  lanterns  had  almost  burned  out. 

"Here,  Elbert,  I  gave  my  life  to  you,"  said  Veo, 
solemnly. 

"Sweet  little  one,  you  are  now  all  my  own.  Nothing 
can  ever  part  us,"  and  he  drew  her  to  him  and  again 
looked  into  her  honest  eyes,  and  repeated  softly,  as  if 
recalling  memories  of  the  happy  trysting  place,  "Veo, 
Veo." 

And  the  whispering  winds  through  the  summits  of 
the  trees  seemed  to  echo  his  words  again  and  again. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  107 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

"We've  scotched  the  snake — not  killed  it." 

— Macbeth. 

The  young  couple  went  directly  to  Chicago,  where 
Elbert  was  going  to  make  a  struggle  to  retrieve  his 
shattered  law  practice.  They  had  rented  a  flat,  and 
Mrs.  Waldie  was  already  there  to  welcome  them  and 
assisted  the  young  girl  wife  in  fitting  up  the  new  home. 
She  continued  her  friendship  to  Elbert  in  spite  of 
the  breach  with  Bart,  hoping  in  some  way  to  reconcile 
the  two  men  later  on.  The  child  wife  loved  her,  and 
there  were  few  moments  for  homesickness  with  Mrs. 
Waldie  and  Elbert  around.  The  fee  of  five  thousand 
dollars  was  in  the  bank,  and  after  a  few  weeks  Elbert 
called  his  wife  for  consultation. 

"Veo,  I  feel  the  lack  of  a  collegiate  education.  I 
am  not  equipped  to  achieve  permanent  success  in  the 
profession  of  law,  and  I  am  discouraged." 

"Oh,  no,  Elbert,  you  can  study  by  observation,"  said 
Veo,  cheerily.  "We  can  travel  and  I  will  take  good 
care  of  things.  We  can  study  together — only — only— 
I  don't  know  much  about  law." 

"Yes,  but  your  little  head  is  chuck  full  of  common 
sense,  and  that  is  better  than  law." 

The  matter  was  submitted  to  Mrs.  Waldie  and  she 
approved  of  Veo's  plan. 

"Travel  and  intelligent  observation  will  soon  cover 


108  BOSS    BART.    POLITICIAN. 

all  defects,  Elbert.  Don't  give  up  now.  You  have 
only  begun." 

Veo  and  Elbert  were  then  at  Waldie's  house.  Agnes 
had  insisted  on  matters  continuing  as  before.  Bart 
was  not  at  home  when  they  arrived,  and  they  had  en 
joyed  a  delightful  evening  together.  They  were  about 
to  leave  when  Bart  came  in.  His  face  was  flushed. 
He  saw  Agnes  and  Elbert,  but  not  seeing  Veo,  he 
said:  "You  here?  And  haven't  you  any  pride?  What 
an  honor,  Mrs.  Waldie,  to  nurse  a  viper  who  has  stung 
us!  No  wife  of  mine  shall — " 

Just  then  Veo  stepped  out. 

"I  am  Elbert's  wife,  sir." 

"Beg  pardon,  Miss,  but — but — you  don't  know," 
mumbled  Bart.  "They  are  all  plotting  to  ruin  me. 
But  I'll  show  them  yet  that  old  Bart  isn't  dead,"  and 
he  shuffled  on  upstairs,  slamming  the  door. 

"Shall  we  remain?"  asked  Elbert,  anxiously. 

"No;  it  will  be  all  right,"  said  the  plucky  but  sor 
rowing  wife. 

When  they  had  reached  home  Veo  said,  "Oh,  how 
I  pity  her,  Elbert.  Can't  we  make  her  happy  some 
way?" 

"I  hope  so,"  he  replied. 

"I  wish  I  knew  more,  Elbert,  so  I  could  talk  to  you 
as  she  does." 

"No,  pet;  you  are  all  right  as  you  are,"  he  replied, 
lovingly. 

This  was  the  first  real  explosion  in  Bart  Waldie's 
married  life.  Matters  had  been  growing  desperately 
worse  for  him  since  the  estrangement  with  Elbert. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  109 

The  young  man  was  more  to  him  than  he  had  ever  sup 
posed.  He  had  begun  to  lean  upon  Elbert,  and  now 
with  that  support  gone  the  downfall  of  "Boss  Bart" 
seemed  only  the  question  of  a  very  short  time,  and 
with  it  was  to  come  the  wreck  of  his  business  and 
health. 

A  suit  for  divorce  suggested  itself  to  Agnes,  but  she 
shrank  from  making  her  personal  troubles  a  public 
matter.  There  were  good  grounds  for  a  divorce,  but 
she  lived  on  in  patient  sorrow,  man  and  wife  treating 
each  other  almost  as  strangers.  Bart  seemed  to  have 
lost  all  manhood;  his  life  was  wrecked  and  his  hopes 
yet  unachieved.  It  was  a  sad  life  for  Agnes.  Wealth 
and  the  honors  and  burdens  of  social  position,  and 
yet  no  home.  A  hungry,  lonesome  wife's  heart  feeding 
upon  its  own  bitterness. 

The  following  morning  brought  no  change  in  the 
brewing  domestic  trouble.  Husband  and  wife  passed 
each  other  in  silence.  As  Bart  was  about  to  leave, 
Agnes  inquired:  "Bart,  why  are  you  so  bitter  and 
unrelenting;  why  not  forgive  Elbert?" 

"Woman,  will  you  hold  your  tongue ;  you  will  drive 
me  mad  yet;  that  young  scoundrel  has  not  only 
wrecked  me,  but  the  party  as  well." 

"But,  Bart,  he  followed  the  dictates  of  his  con 
science  and  did  not  willingly  do  wrong." 

"He  is  a  Judas;  he  did  not  stick  by  his  friends,  but 
sold  them  out,"  he  retorted  as  he  rushed  out  from  the 
house  in  a  rage. 

A  few  minutes  later  Paulina  Cracovitz  was  shown 
in  from  the  kitchen.  Agnes  was  startled  to  see  her. 


110  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"The  fraulein  has  returned;  it  is  good;  Herr  Wai- 
die  is  not  sick  perhaps?" 

"No,  Paulina;   Mr.  Waldie  is  quite  well." 

''Ah,  not  sick  the  heart?" 

"Why,  no;  why  should  he  be?"  said  Agnes,  slightly 
disturbed  by  the  impertinent  remark. 

"Ah,  why?  Bad  man,  they  are  sick  in  the  heart 
sometimes;  devils,  no,  never." 

"Paulina,  what  are  you  hinting  at?  And  why  do 
you  want  to  see  me?  Why  did  you  not  come  back  for 
the  skirts  I  wanted  washed?" 

"Ah,  Herr  Waldie  has  much  work  for  me  to  do. 
Oh,  yes?"  muttered  Paulina,  with  a  devilish  leer. 

"For  you?     Explain  yourself,  woman." 

"Urn!"  she  said  with  a  grunt.  "South  Clark 
Street,  State  Street,  Dearborn  Street.  'Urn,  'um,  some 
women  to  see;  some  men  money  to  spend — oh,  Pau 
lina  know." 

"Some  women  to  see;  some  men;  and  money  to 
spend — you?" 

"Why  not?     Herr  Waldie  is  my  son-in-law." 

"Merciful  heaven!    What  are  you  saying?" 

"The  fraulein  get  crazy,"  continued  Paulina,  shak 
ing  her  head.  "She  kill  Herr  Waldie.  No,  no;  he 
have  not  paid  the  price  full.  No!  No!" 

"Tell  me  what  he  has  done,  I  command  you." 

"Command?    Ah!     I  like  it." 

"Then  I  entreat  you  as  one  woman  to  another." 

"Bah!  The  fraulein  is  impatient.  He  promise — he 
break  the  promise.  I  break  him  in  this  little  hand;  so!" 

"But  what  has  he  done?" 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  Ill 

"Oh,  much;  women,  women,  always  women!" 

"I  will  not  believe  it." 

"No?    Look  at  that,"  she  said,  handing  her  a  paper. 

"Marriage  certificate,  Bart  Waldie,  Naomi  Thomp 
son;  woman,  you  lie!"  cried  Agnes,  almost  beside  her 
self. 

"My  daughter — his  wife." 

"I  cannot  and  will  not  believe  it." 

"Oh,  it  is  the  word  from  heaven.  The  sting  is  deep 
for  both;  for  you,  for  me,  for  both.  Go  back,  tell 
Herr  Waldie  he  pray  through  the  nose.  I  will  it;  I 
will  it." 

"You  are  a  scheming,  blackmailing  gypsy.  I  will 
believe  nothing  against  my  husband.  He  is  too  good, 
too  noble  to  deceive  me.  Oh!  Bart!  Bart!" 

"Perhaps  you  think  so.  The  idiot  girl,  too,  she  know 
a  thing." 

"Snakes?  It  is  monstrous.  Great  God!  I  am 
crushed!"  cried  Agnes,  sinking  into  a  chair. 

"Go,  tell  him  Paulina  lives  for  vengeance.  Blood 
for  blood,  wife  for  wife.  I  will,  I  will  have  his  heart, 
his  life.  Ah,  Naomi!  My  child!  His  life!  My  son-in- 
law!  Bah!  Paulina  lives — ,"  and  with  the  old  gypsy 
oath,  shading  her  eyes  as  if  from  the  sun  with  the 
blade  of  her  dagger,  she  left  the  house. 


112  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

"The  use  of  traveling  is  to  regulate  imagination  by  real 
ity,  and  instead  of  thinking  how  things  may  be,  to  see  them 
as  they  are." 

— Dr.  Johnson. 

Elbert  and  his  wife  left  soon  after  on  what  Vco 
called  "our  educational  observation  tour."  She  was  in 
high  glee  and  carefully  packed  each  piece  of  luggage 
so  that  Elbert  would  have  no  trouble  in  searching  for 
anything.  Although  she  had  never  traveled  much  her 
housewifely  instincts  made  the  most  of  every  emer 
gency  for  neatness  and  comfort.  Elbert  took  copious 
notes  and  Veo  carefully  copied  and  indexed  his  work 
as  they  traveled  about.  They  first  went  to  Washing 
ton,  arriving  late  in  the  evening.  It  was  raining,  and 
the  mirrored  reflections  on  the  asphalt  pavements  gave 
the  city  a  Parisian  aspect.  They  stopped  at  the  old 
National  Hotel  because  that  was  where  Henry  Clay, 
one  of  Elbert's  heroes,  had  lived  and  died.  They 
were  assigned  to  the  corner  room  on  the  second  floor 
where  the  great  compromiser  had  breathed  his  last. 

"My,  but  we  must  expect  to  see  ghosts  to-night, 
Elbert/'  said  Veo,  mysteriously. 

"These  historical  associations  are  real  inspirations,'' 
he  responded  with  mock  bravery. 

"Well,  I'm  not  afraid  of  anything  when  you're 
around,  Elbert." 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  113 

The  following  days  they  visited  all  the  points  of 
interest,  as  thousands  of  bridal  couples  before  them 
have  done.  From  the  Washington  Monument  they 
had  a  sweeping  perspective  of  the  reclaimed  Po 
tomac  flats,  the  historic  Arlington  Heights  and  Robert 
Lee's  mansion,  the  Mall,  the  White  House,  the  Treas 
ury  Building  and  the  Capitol.  This  was  Elbert's  first 
visit  to  the  scenes  often  read  of  in  his  school  history. 

They  took  the  usual  routine  of  tourists.  They  went 
into  the  Capitol  with  its  labyrinth  of  low-arched  pas 
sages  with  a  feeling  of  awe.  The  whispering  gal 
leries,  the  paintings,  the  rugged,  massive  solidity  of 
the  stairway,  were  all  impressive.  In  the  House  of 
Representatives,  as  they  looked  down  from  the  public 
gallery  there  was  a  continuous  buzz  which  recalled 
the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade  or  a  country  caucus.  Sev 
eral  set  speeches  were  being  delivered,  and  Veo  re 
marked  under  breath:  "Elbert,  you  can  do  better  than 
that;  but  what  funny  old  cane  seat  chairs  and  antiquat 
ed  school  desks,"  she  continued;  "a  seat  in  Congress 
doesn't  amount  to  much,  after  all,  does  it,  Elbert?" 

The  Senate  with  its  impressive  air  of  courtesy  and 
dignity  was  a  marked  contrast  to  the  House.  And 
here  Elbert  indulged  in  an  elaborate  day  dream.  In 
fact,  all  these  scenes  were  stimulating  the  political  am 
bition  of  the  young  lawyer.  In  the  Supreme  Court 
room  what  an  air  of  repose  and  serenity;  in  their 
sombre  black  gowns,  the  justices  personified  the  idea 
of  a  final  matured  human  judgment.  Motions  were 
rattled  along  the  bench ;  whispered  conferences  of  the 
moment  resulted  in  momentous  decisions,  and  an  oc- 


114  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

casional  smile  flitted  from  face  to  face  like  a  <rleam 

o 

of  sunshine  in  a  dark  abyss.  The  red  plush  seats  for 
spectators  were  filled,  but  each  justice  was  absorbed 
in  his  work  and  was  entirely  oblivious  of  the  visitors. 

A  few  days  later  it  became  evident  to  Elbert  that  he 
must  do  something  to  replenish  his  financial  reserve. 
Through  Bart  Waldie  he  v/as  known  to  a  number  of 
prominent  politicians  in  Washington,  but  the  more 
he  saw  of  Bart's  party  friends  the  less  he  thought  of 
the  party  in  which  he  had  trained  under  Waldie.  His 
father's  political  beliefs  began  to  take  possession  of  him 
again,  and  like  the  prodigal  son  he  returned  to  the 
original  political  fold  after  talking  the  matter  over 
with  Veo. 

"Elbert,  believe  what  is  right.  It  is  surely  not  a 
crime  to  change  political  faith." 

"Veo,  my  political  faith  is  changing,  but  what  will 
Bart  and  my  old  political  friends  in  Chicago  think?" 

"Why,  just  let  them  keep  on  thinking,  Elbert;  it 
won't  hurt  them." 

That  afternoon  he  was  interviewed  by  a  newspaper 
friend  and  his  change  of  conviction  was  announced 
more  or  less  prominently  by  the  opposition  papers. 
He  obtained  a  conference  with  a  prominent  politician 
who  was  then  in  the  zenith  of  his  career  as  a  states 
man.  Elbert  told  him  briefly  his  life  experience  in  an 
open,  candid  way. 

"You  are  a  brave  lad,  but  you  lack  thorough  ac 
quaintance  with  the  idea  of  protection  which  you  have 
embraced  as  a  political  creed.  You  are  impelled  per- 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  115 

haps  by  impulse — your  little  wife  you  speak  of — may 
have—" 

"But,  sir,  it  is  a  matter  of  honest  conviction  with 
me." 

"No  doubt;  but  found  your  beliefs  on  facts." 

"Is  a  political  career  advisable  for  me?"  inquired 
Elbert. 

"No,  young  man ;  decidedly  not.  Do  you  see  those 
gray  hairs?  Defeated,  maligned  and  chagrined.  It 
is  a  bitter,  unwholesome  career.  My  advice  to  young 
lawyers  is  'less  office  holding  and  more  law.'  I  hope 
that  I  am  forever  through  with  politics." 

"But  I  feel  that  I  have  a  mission  in  the  coming 
campaign,  even  if  without  hope  of  reward,  to  retrieve 
the  past." 

"Well,"  continued  the  statesman,  "know  your  sub 
ject  first,  and  to  clearly  comprehend  the  protective 
policy  you  ought  to  travel  abroad  and  make  the  study 
by  observation  and  comparison  of  existing  facts  with 
out  the  intervention  of  theory.  A  trip  abroad  will 
broaden  not  only  your  political  but  literary  comprehen 
sion,  and  do  not  attempt  to  go  into  a  political  cam 
paign  without  being  fully  equipped  and  armed." 

The  conversation  resulted  in  a  serious  consultation 
with  Veo  as  to  the  proposed  trip  abroad. 

"We  have  three  thousand  dollars  left,  Veo,  and  that 
would  buy  a  pleasant  little  home  in  Iowa  where  we 
could  reside — 

"Yes;  but  Elbert,  you  are  too  ambitious  to  be  satis 
fied  there." 

"Well,  there's  my  little  wife — " 


116  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"Elbert,  your  little  wife  is  you.  Your  ambitions  are 
my  ambitions,  and  if  you  need  to  travel  in  Europe, 
why,  we'll  go." 

"It  is  placing  all  our  fortune  on  the  hope  of  my 
achievements  when  we  return." 

"Never  mind  that,  Elbert.  We'll  invest  that  five 
thousand  dollars  in  prospective  achievements." 

"My  inspiration,"  he  said,  as  he  kissed  her. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  117 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

"How  much  a  dunce  that  has  been  sent  to  roam 
Excels  a  dunce  that  has  been  kept  at  home." 

— Cowper, 

"Art  is  long,  life  is  short;  judgment  difficult,  opportunity 
transient." 

—Goethe. 

"We  are  on  a  voyage  to  discover  the  world,"  wrote 
Veo  to  Agnes,  ''and  Elbert  is  reversing  the  notions  of 
Christopher  Columbus.  We  are  going  east  to  discover 
a  new  route  to  India." 

They  had  arrived  in  Germany  the  day  previous,  and 
Elbert  at  once  began  active  preparations  for  his  spe 
cial  study  of  the  working  classes  in  relation  to  the 
tariff  question.  He  found  it  slow  and  awkward  work, 
not  being  able  to  speak  the  language.  He  was  regard 
ed  with  more  or  less  suspicion  as  a  stranger,  and  find 
ing  many  of  the  larger  manufacturing  establishments 
in  Germany  absolutely  closed  to  strangers,  even  with 
letters  of  introduction,  he  was  becoming  disheartened. 

"Never  mind,  dear,  the  note  books  will  look  better 
when  we  get  home,"  said  Veo.  "Now  let  us  enjoy 
our  trip  just  as  if  we  were  millionaires  and  tourists." 

They  made  a  trip  up  the  Rhine,  and  the  old  castles 
on  either  side  seemed  to  bring  a  comprehension  of  the 
early  history  of  Germany  that  no  books  could  give. 
At  Drachenfels  the  whole  story  of  the  castles  of  the 


118  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

Rhine  was  recalled  in  a  flood  of  sunlight,  as  they  gazed 
on  the  beautiful  valley  beneath,  and  the  winding  Rhine 
fringed  with  historic  mountains,  crested  with  purple 
forests  and  terraced  with  vineyards,  and  capped  by 
crumbling  castle  towers.  Elbert  enjoyed  it  all,  and 
yet  felt  a  sense  of  guilt  as  if  neglecting  the  specific 
object  of  his  visit. 

They  decided  later  to  leave  the  well-worn  path  of 
tourists  and  drifted  to  Weimar,  the  home  of  the  poets 
Goethe  and  Schiller,  and  a  virtual  Mecca  in  German 
literature  and  music.  They  arrived  on  Sunday  morn 
ing,  when  all  nature  was  under  the  spell  of  the  impress 
ive  quiet  of  the  day.  Were  these  the  same  sights  that 
inspired  Goethe?  Were  these  the  same  fields  he  had 
gazed  upon?  This  old  gabled  house,  the  deep  ravine 
and  viaduct,  the  old  pump — were  these  familiar  to 
Goethe,  Schiller  and  Mendelssohn?  They  felt  some 
thing  inspirational  as  they  passed  Schiller's  home, 
that  tall  brick  house  with  shutters  close  to  the  street. 
Then  around  the  corner  the  long  low  house  where 
Goethe  had  lived  so  many  years.  At  the  right  of  the 
door  as  they  entered  was  the  low,  broad,  flat  stair 
way  of  well-worn  oaken  steps.  The  view  then  pre 
sented  of  the  long  hall,  with  the  statue  of  Juno;  near 
by  the  harpsichord  on  which  Mendelssohn  played, 
seemed  like  a  peep  into  the  tomb  of  the  past.  Veo 
sat  down  to  the  instrument  and  struck  those  massive 
chords  in  the  March  of  the  Priests  from  Athalia,  and 
it  seemed  like  a  mysterious  voice  from  the  dead. 
Every  where  in  glass  cases  were  the  famous  Goethe  col 
lection  of  medallions  and  the  trophies  bestowed  upon 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  119 

Germany's  greatest  poet.  Then  the  library,  the  old 
pine  desks,  the  chair  and  table  where  the  poet  sat  and 
dictated  in  his  declining  days,  even  the  elbow  cushion 
upon  which  he  rested  his  arm  when  bowing  his  head 
in  thought,  still  remained.  Just  off  the  library  was  a 
small  room  with  a  wainscoting  of  green  cloth,  contain 
ing  a  couch  covered  with  a  faded  pink  spread.  In  the 
corner  was  the  table  upon  which  the  cup  and  saucer 
and  some  medicine  bottles  still  remained  as  when  he 
died.  At  the  foot  of  the  bed  the  old  casement  window 
was  swung  open,  and  the  branches  of  the  tree  just  out 
side  had  grown  closer  as  if  to  shelter  the  nook  where 
Goethe  had  closed  his  eyes  in  eternal  slumber  as  his 
soul  passed  away  to  greet  his  own  Marguerite. 

"Oh,  Elbert,"  whispered  Veo,  "such  scenes  as  these 
are  inspiring.  We  never  can  forget  this  day." 

They  stood  arm  in  arm  for  some  moments,  feeling 
the  kindly  spirit  of  the  poet  upon  them. 

Every  day  was  crowded  to  its  fullest  capacity  with 
sight-seeing.  Baedeker  was  thrown  aside  for  real  im 
pressions,  and  they  drifted  on  and  on  without  specific 
purpose. 

At  one  of  the  hotels  in  Frankfort  they  met  Mrs. 
W.  Dannocks  Daniels,  widow  of  a  United  States  army 
officer,  whom  Elbert  had  met  at  Bart's  home  and  at 
Springfield.  It  was  of  course  a  surprise  to  see  her, 
but  in  a  foreign  land  a  very  slight  previous  acquaint 
anceship  is  accepted  as  friendship  of  long  years'  stand 
ing.  She  was  a  bright  talker  and  an  old  traveler,  and 
while  they  had  met  many  other  Americans  and  made 
other  friends  during  their  travel?,  Mrs.  Daniels  was 


120  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

an  especially  attractive  acquaintance.  She  was  well 
versed  in  art  and  literature,  and  she  and  Elbert  enjoyed 
many  Platonic  discussions  during  the  days  the  three 
were  sight-seeing  together.  Even  Veo  fell  quite  in 
love  with  her. 

While  in  Paris  Elbert  acquired  his  first  real  taste  for 
art.  Mrs.  Daniels  was  with  them  to  discuss  together 
the  paintings  of  the  masters,  but  Veo  was  more  inter 
ested  in  studying  the  students  on  the  scaffolds  and 
in  dark  corners  at  the  Louvre,  who  were  trying  to 
imbibe  the  spirit  of  the  great  painters.  Rubens  with 
his  plump  women  and  idyllic  hazel  eyes,  and  rich  lurid 
coloring,  never  fails  to  attract  the  admiration  of  the 
novice.  Rembrandt's  sober  backgrounds  brought 
back  to  Veo  a  happy  day  at  The  Hague,  where  she 
had  idealized  the  little  painting  of  his  mother. 

The  sights  of  Paris  were  one  series  of  wonderment 
and  delight.  The  Pantheon,  Madeline,  Arc  de  Tri- 
omphe,  Place  de  la  Concorde,  the  Juli  Column,  all 
rich  with  historical  associations,  from  these  Elbert 
got  that  swift  and  realistic  comprehension  of  history 
so  different  from  that  of  the  class-room.  In  France 
he  felt  in  sympathetic  touch  with  the  American  idea, 
and  as  he  stood  by  Rousseau's  statue  near  the  Pan 
theon  he  realized  that  the  great  philosopher  had  been 
one  of  the  leading  spirits  in  the  era  of  agitation  which 
resulted  in  American  independence.  But  Elbert  made 
little  or  no  progress  in  the  study  of  the  tariff  question. 
At  Versailles  and  Luxembourg,  Elbert  and  Mrs.  Dan 
iels  reveled  in  Platonic  discussions,  and  their  tastes 
quite  harmonized 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  121 

"Your  predilection  is  literary  rather  than  political, 
Mr.  Ainsworth,"  said  Mrs.  Daniels  one  day. 

"That  may  be  true,  but  my  absorbing  ambition  is 
political,  and  our  aspirations  rather  than  our  tastes 
govern  us." 

"Perhaps;  but  how  much  more  one  achieves  in  fol 
lowing  what  one  loves." 

"But  our  ability  often  does  not  harmonize  with  our 
aspirations." 

"Then  why  oppose  the  inevitable?"  she  insisted.  "If 
you  knew  what  I  do  of  Washington  and  of  Washing 
ton  political  life,  political  ambition  would  not  lure 
you  further." 

This  conversation  Elbert  considered  a  temptation 
to  divert  him  from  his  real  ambition,  and  then  he 
pinched  himself  to  bring  to  mind  those  tariff  statistics. 

At  Brussels  they  found  a  petite  Paris.  The  Palais 
de  Justice  ma^  be  grander  in  architecture  than  the 
capitol  at  Washington,  and  yet  how  insignificant  the 
comparison  as  to  what  each  represents.  The  presence 
of  soldiers  at  every  entrance  and  avenue  to  public 
buildings  throughout  Europe  was  a  decided  contrast 
to  the  wide  open  gates  at  the  white  house  and  public 
grounds  in  Washington. 

It  was  in  Brussels  that  Veo  was  taken  ill. 

"Too  bad;  the  first  day  I've  missed.  But,  Elbert, 
you  and  Mis.  Daniels  must  go." 

"No;    I'll  stay  here,  Veo,  and—" 

"But  I'm  not  that  ill.  Now,  that's  a  good  boy;  go 
along." 

F.lbert  and  Mrs.  Daniels  visited  the  sights  of  Brus- 


122  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

sels  together  and  continued  their  discussions.  At  the 
Wertz  museum  they  disagreed  again  in  a  good-natured 
way. 

"There  is  something  impressively  grand  in  this 
place,"  she  said,  enthusiastically. 

"It  reminds  me  more  of  a  chamber  of  horrors!  Of 
all  the  ghastly  sights  on  earth — buried  alive — mother 
burning  her  child — Napoleon  in  hell — " 

"But  we  must  know  the  realities  of  life;  these  paint 
ings  have  a  mission." 

"The  particular  mission  must  be  to  induce  suicide. 
Even  the  Homeric  Patroculus  and  all  of  his  heroic 
paintings  have  that  insane  and  desperate  look.  It 
makes  it  appear  almost  a  blasphemy  where  they  pur 
port  to  portray  the  face  of  Christ." 

"But  how  masterly  the  strokes!  And  coloring  almost 
equal  to  Rubens!"  she  urged. 

"Yes ;  they  show  vigorous  muscular  power  at  least." 

"But  the  little  sketches  of  each  painting  indicate 
pamstaking  work  at  least.  That  painting  of  himself, 
however,  shows  the  man — " 

"An  egotistic  cynic,  and  cynics  are  useless  in  the 
world." 

As  they  were  leaving  the  vine-covered  building,  a 
man  coming  from  the  gallery  opposite  approached 
them. 

"My  dear  Mrs.  Daniels,  how  delighted  I  am  to  see 
you,"  said  the  stranger. 

It  was  all  said  in  a  breath,  and  the  familiarity  net 
tled  Elbcrt.  The  stranger  was  finally  introduced  as 
Captain  Pardemorc,  U.  S.  A.,  and  he  asked  to  call 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  123 

and  see  Mrs.  Daniels  that  evening,  as  he  left  them. 
Mrs.  Daniels  was  quick  to  read  human  nature,  and 
she  watched  Eibert's  face  intently  on  the  meeting  with 
Captain  Pardemore. 

"A  charming  fellow — he  wants  me  to  join  him,"  she 
said,  sweetly. 

"Mrs.  Daniels,  do  you  ever  have  sincere  attach 
ments  for  friends?"  asked  Elbert,  solemnly. 

"Yes,  I  love  my  friends.  Friendship  is  one  of  the 
noblest  ties  that  bind  two  individuals." 

"But  there  are  more  sacred  ties,"  remonstrated  El 
bert. 

"Yes ;  but  love  and  true  affinity  come  first.  My  im 
pulse  is  to  find  happiness  only  in  love  irrespective  of 
conventional  decrees.  Why  restrict  ourselves  to  Puri 
tanic  custom?  Too  often  people  are  legally  bound  to 
uncongenial  spirits,  and  I  choose  to  declare  my  inde 
pendence  as  an  individual." 

"You  don't  mean  that  you  would  travel  al6ne  with 
this  man?" 

"No,  I  am  not  an  adventuress;  he  is  not  the  man. 
But  with  one  I  loved  I  would  dare  the  world's  scorn,, 
and  be — happy." 

She  was  beautiful  in  her  earnestness  and  seemed  to 
believe  what  she  said.  Their  eyes  met.  It  was  an 
instant  of  temptation,  but  a  face  flashed  upon  Elbert. 
Two  innocent  eyes  that  reflected  a  soul  came  before 
him.  It  was  evident  to  Elbert  that  he  was  in  danger 
and  that  the  spell  must  be  broken,  as  Mrs.  Daniels 
was  truly  a  fascinating  woman.  In  fighting  temptation 
he  felt  that  the  opportunity  must  first  be  banished. 


124  BOSS    BART.    POLITICIAN. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

"And  I  could  not  speak  for  wonder;  but  he  spoke  with  a 
murmur  like  the  dying  away  of  a  beat  upon  a  bell." 

— John  Ruskin. 

Without  even  saying  good-bye  to  Airs.  Daniels, 
Elbert  and  Veo  left  Brussels.  Veo  was  astonished, 
but  asked  no  further  questions  when  Elbert  told  her 
that  he  must  not  loiter  in  leisure.  They  went  direct 
to  England,  where  Elbert  really  began  his  actual  work 
of  investigation.  In  fact,  he  became  a  real  workman, 
donning  workman's  clothes  and  entering  enthusiastic 
ally  into  his  investigations.  He  discovered  facts  never 
before  disclosed  to  his  mind,  and  the  longer  he  investi 
gated  the  more  thoroughly  he  became  convinced  that 
protection  was  the  right  policy  for  the  United  States. 
He  found  the  condition  of  workingmen  in  many  parts  of 
England  deplorable.  This  was  the  competition  Ameri 
can  workingmen  must  meet  with  in  open  markets.  Eng 
lish  factories  were  then  anxiously  waiting  for  American 
tariff  legislation  to  enable  them  to  place  their  goods 
on  the  American  market.  Elbert  had  many  heated 
discussions  with  English  friends,  all  of  whom  believed 
their  interests  were  those  of  the  United  States.  His 
natural  sympathies  were  with  the  working  classes,  and 
he  felt  a  selfish  interest  in  the  laboring  men  of  his 
own  country.  The  experiences  of  those  few  months 
were  an  education  in  political  economy  such  as  years 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  125 

in  the  study  of  the  theories  of  Adam  Smith  and  John 
Stuart  Mill  could  not  furnish.  Actual  experience  and 
facts  gained  by  induction  forged  an  opposite  conclu 
sion  to  that  of  the  free  trade  deductive  and  seductive 
theories. 

In  his  recent  reading  on  the  subject,  Elbert  had 
found  in  John  Ruskin  a  partial  apostle  of  his  absorb 
ing  idea  of  protection.  After  a  visit  to  the  Turner 
room  in  the  National  Gallery  in  London,  Elbert  felt 
that  he  must  see  John  Ruskin  while  the  sage  of  Brant- 
wood  yet  lived,  and  feel  the  inspiration  of  that  great 
thinker's  presence.  In  another  week  they  were  enjoying 
all  the  beauties  of  the  lake  district,  visiting  Ambleside, 
Ryddle,  Grassmere  and  Dentwater.  The  coaching  tour 
to  Coniston,  up  the  famous  Yewdale  valley  immortal 
ized  by  Wordsworth,  Southey  and  Coleridge,  gave 
Elbert  a  subtle  comprehension  of  these  English  poets 
not  achieved  by  students  of  English  literature  in  the 
atmosphere  of  a  class-room. 

At  Coniston  Elbert  found  the  villagers  shaking  their 
heads  in  a  mysterious  way  when  he  talked  of  seeing 
John  Ruskin.  But  few  neighbors  were  familiar  with 
his  books,  and  yet  all  seemed  to  love  him.  Brant- 
wood,  the  home  of  the  sage,  was  across  the  lake,  direct 
ly  opposite  the  village.  Elbert  ascertained  that  the 
aged  philosopher  took  a  walk  from  Brantwood  to  a 
little  point  of  land  farther  up  the  lake,  where  he  would 
sit  for  hours  and  watch  the  waves  of  Coniston  wash 
upon  the  pebbly  beach.  Brantwood  is  a  stone  slate 
house  covered  with  white  stucco  and  festooned  with 
Virginia  creeper.  It  looked  an  ideal  philosopher's  re- 


126  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

treat  among-  the  bleak  and  wrinkled  peaks,  fringed  at 
the  base  with  forest  and  festooned  with  heather.  Elbert 
rowed  across  the  black  waters  of  the  lake  to  a  point 
just  above  where  the  sailboats  were  moored  opposite 
the  home.  Clambering  up  through  the  brush  to  the 
road  he  passed  little  bits  of  pasture,  orchards,  flower 
and  vegetable  gardens,  all  nestling  at  the  foot  of  the 
rugged  hills.  The  stone  hut  of  a  farmer  in  a  sterile 
field  farther  up  the  hill  indicated  that  at  least  one 
neighbor  was  within  hailing  distance  of  the  lonely 
sage  of  Brantwood.  Elbert  approached  the  house  with 
awe  through  a  tunnel  of  foliage.  He  pulled  the  bell, 
but  there  was  no  response. 

"I  came  to  see  John  Ruskin,  and  they  cannot  kill 
me  for  it,"  he  thought,  as  he  stood  trembling  before  the 
door. 

He  rang  again,  and  a  maid  in  a  white  cap  came  to 
the  door.  Elbert  asked  to  see  Mr.  Severns,  the  artist 
who  is  the  husband  of  Mrs.  Ruskin's  niece. 

"He  is  very  busy,"  was  the  answer. 

"Tell  him  a  gentleman  from  America  wishes  to  see 
him." 

When  she  had  retired  Elbert  stood  in  the  little  hall, 
with  its  red  ingrain  carpet,  hungrily  drinking  in  all 
of  the  details.  On  the  wall  directly  in  front  hung  a 
charcoal  sketch  by  Burne-Jones.  A  door  led  from  the 
hall  on  either  side,  and  the  sound  of  a  voice  in  the 
stillness  thrilled  the  visitor.  Could  that  be  Ruskin's 


voice : 


Mr.  Severns  came  down  soon  after,  and  Elbert  in 
a  confused  way  confessed  his  mission. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  127 

"It  is  not  a  pleasant  intrusion,  and  you  Americans 
are  so  impertinent,"  said  Mr.  Severns,  sharply. 

Elbert  made  another  plea,  more  in  his  looks  than 
by  words,  and  he  was  shown  into  Ruskin's  study  at 
the  right  of  the  hall.  His  first  glance  rested  upon  a 
little  straight-backed  chair,  upholstered  in  green.  This 
was  the  favorite  seat  of  the  sage.  On  the  table  and 
in  the  French  window  were  flowers  in  slender  glass 
vases.  Above  the  mantel  was  his  famous  collection 
of  Greek  relics.  On  the  walls  hung  various  sketches 
in  charcoal  indicating  Ruskin's  favorite  study  of  an 
cient  architecture.  The  little  clock  on  the  wall  kept 
ticking  away  those  precious  minutes  which  were  to 
leave  impressions  for  a  lifetime  on  Elbert.  Under 
neath  the  bookcases  surrounding  the  room  was  Rus 
kin's  famous  geological  collection,  suggesting  a  simi 
larity  in  taste  with  that  of  the  poet  at  Weimar.  There 
seemed  to  be  an  innate  passion  in  these  two  great  minds 
to  collect  the  actual  expressions  of  Nature.  The 
graceful  drapery  of  Virginia  creeper  over  the  case 
ment  at  Brantwood  brought  to  mind  the  old  tree  at 
Weimar. 

And  yet,  John  Ruskin  was  not  there. 

Elbert  passed  out  of  the  house  absorbed  in  his  hero 
worship.  Passing  through  the  arched  driveway  which 
penetrated  the  south  wing  of  the  house,  he  suddenly 
came  upon  a  sight  which  thrilled  him.  A  tall,  yet 
stooped  form,  one  shoulder  much  higher  than  the  oth 
er,  with  his  long  gray  beard  buttoned  inside  his  coat, 
shaggy  and  fierce-looking  eyebrows  under  which 
sparkled  kindly  gray  eyes;  on  his  head  a  white  slouch 


128  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

hat,  his  hands  behind  him  grasping  a  walking  stick, 
moving  along  slowly  followed  by  his  valet  at  a  respect 
ful  distance.  This  was  John  Ruskin. 

Elbert  was  so  occupied  with  his  thoughts  that  he 
could  not  speak.  He  followed  the  aged  seer  into  the 
house,  but  not  a  word  was  spoken.  Ruskin  took  his 
seat  in  the  little  green  chair  at  the  window.  Elbert 
stood  near  by  as  if  hypnotized.  Directly  opposite  the 
window  on  the  banks  of  the  lake  was  an  old  tree,  the 
top  branches  of  which  had  been  wrenched  off  by  a 
storm.  A  mass  of  ivy  hung  about  the  tall  protruding 
trunk,  as  if  to  hide  the  ravages  of  the  tempest,  and  the 
wide-spreading  lower  branches  seemed  outstretched  in 
benediction  as  the  sunlight  played  on  the  black  waters 
of  Coniston.  How  like  the  sage  of  Brantwood!  His 
life  broken  and  saddened  by  storm  and  tempest,  and 
yet  clinging  about  it  were  the  brightest  and  sweetest 
memories,  his  words  resting  like  a  benediction  upon 
the  hopes  of  the  young  and  ambitious.  Elbert  left 
the  house  feeling  as  if  his  living  idol  had  remained 
in  the  tomb,  drifting  from  the  terrestrial  to  the  celes 
tial.  Call  it  foolish  sentiment,  but  those  few  hours 
at  Brantwood  emphasized  Elbert's  ideal  of  pure  man 
hood.  It  was  one  of  those  events  which  determine 
destiny.  The  spark  of  an  uncompromising  ambition 
had  been  ignited. 

For  several  hours  that  evening  Elbert  was  busy 
relating  to  Veo  the  veriest  trifle  connected  with  that 
visit  to  Brantwood,  which  together  they  considered  the 
crowning  achievement  of  their  tour.  "Unto  this  Last" 
was  now  read  with  new  zest  and  understanding,  and 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  129 

"Sesame  and  Lilies"  had  created  a  new  comprehension 
of  the  problems  of  life. 

"Veo,  if  the  world  demands  a  sad  and  pathetic 
career  for  all  of  its  great  men,  I  believe  I  will  stop 
right  here,"  said  Elbert. 

"Elbert,  the  great  men  do  not  have  all  the  sorrow. 
We  all  bear  our  burdens,  and  theirs  seem  great  simply 
because  they  are  brought  into  greater  prominence." 

"But  many  writers  appear  to  linger  on  the  great 
griefs  of  genius  as  its  inspiration." 

"Well,  Elbert,  just  have  faith;  that  does  away  with 
fears  and  tears.  And  now  I'm  trying  so  hard  to  read 
and  admire  Ruskin — " 

"My  little  wife  must  not  work  too  hard." 

"Well,  Elbert,  if  I  can  only  make  you  happy,  I 
don't  care  whether  I  can  understand  Ruskin  or  not." 

"You  do  make  me  happy,  little  one;  but  must  I 
keep  on  saying  it  every  day?" 

"Every  hour,  Elbert;  a  woman's  heart  is  always 
hungry  for  a  kind  word  from  the  man  she  loves." 

He  drew  her  closer  to  him.  The  memory  of  Mrs, 
Daniels  and  her  philosophy  had  vanished. 


130  BOSS   BART,    POLITICIAN. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

"A  mother's  pride,  a  father's  joy." 

— "Rokeby,"  Sir  Walter  Scott. 

Financial  problems  have  an  uncomfortable  way  of 
presenting  themselves  to  disturb  poetic  fancy.  Money 
is  one  of  the  essentials  of  modern  life,  and  Elbert  dis 
covered  that  the  remnant  of  his  financial  reserve  had 
nearly  vanished.  As  if  to  make  the  best  of  it  he  re 
marked: 

"Well,  Veo,  I  am  longing  to  return  to  America,  any 
how,  where  everyone  does  not  walk  on  tiptoe." 

"So  am  I,  Elbert.  Those  continental  breakfasts  of 
coffee,  rolls  and  honey  are  civilized  starvation." 

"We've  plenty  of  note  books  if  we  are  rather  short 
on  tariff  facts,"  said  Elbert. 

The  stay  in  England  somewhat  modified  Elbert's  rad 
ical  ideas.  He  realized  that  America  with  all  its  boast 
ing  was  only  a  part  of  the  universe  after  all ;  that  even 
hated  corporations  are  in  a  way  a  special  benefit  to 
public  weal;  even  royalty  was  not  altogether  obnox 
ious.  In  fact,  without  having  his  loyalty  to  American 
institutions  shaken,  his  observation  had  broadened  his 
ideas  beyond  the  mere  localized  egotism  of  his  own 
country.  Even  Veo  sadly  confessed. 

"Yes,  we  do  talk  through  our  noses,  and  say  'I  guess' 
and  'ain't,'  and  measure  everything  by  bigness,  but 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  131 

that  includes  big  hearts  in  America,  while  in  England 
it  is  big  Fs  and  big  heads.  I  don't  like  English  con 
ceit,  even  if  it  is  reticent  and  well-bred.  I  am  longing 
for  the  free  air  of  the  old  farm  and  Poplarville,  Elbert," 
said  Veo,  enthusiastically. 

''We'll  soon  be  there,  pet." 

A  few  weeks  later  they  were  at  the  old  home  in  Pop 
larville,  but  it  did  not  seem  home  to  Veo.  Elbert  was 
looked  upon  as  a  failure  as  a  city  attorney,  and  a 
foolish  young  chap  who  had  spent  everything  he  had 
in  travel  and  had  now  returned  to  live  upon  the  farm, 
waiting  for  the  demise  of  Veo's  father.  At  least  this 
appeared  to  be  the  suppressed  impression  of  the  neigh 
bors.  Elbert  soon  realized  the  suspicions,  and  his 
proud  spirit  was  aroused,  and  he  chafed  under  what 
he  felt  to  be  a  cloud;  but  he  continued  his  work  of 
collating  notes  and  preparing  for  the  fall  campaign. 
The  village  gossips  insisted  that  he  was  lazy  and  shift 
less,  and  was  living  upon  his  wife's  father  as  a  pen 
sioner.  It  all  stung  him,  but  he  toiled  on  in  patience. 

The  rivalry  in  small  villages  of  church  societies  is 
about  the  most  marked  feature  of  their  social  life.  The 
missionary  teas  and  mite  societies  are  held  for  "our 
church." 

In  every  community  there  must  be  a  division  of 
some  kind,  and  as  in  Poplarville  they  were  all  practi 
cally  of  one  political  belief,  three  hundred  and  twelve 
votes  year  after  year  in  Buzzard  township.  The  church 
societies  had  to  take  up  the  cudgel  to  keep  up  the 
life  of  the  place.  One  church  assumes  a  patrician  air 
as  the  leader  in  social  life  and  the  others  dispute  it. 


132  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

The  question  comes  up  at  every  turn  in  public  affairs, 
"Is  he  a  Presbyterian,  is  he  a  Methodist,  or  is  he  a 
Catholic?"  Positions  on  school  boards,  road  supervis 
ors,  village  trustees,  all  came  under  a  semi-sectarian 
inspection.  And  yet  after  all  it  was  a  pure  and  whole 
some  life.  Open-hearted  and  generous,  such  a  thing 
as  a  case  of  real  poverty  was  scarcely  knovwi  in  the 
township.  The  little  rivalries  were  for  a  good  purpose 
and  the  public  officers  imbued  with  the  right  spirit. 
Churches  and  schoolhouses  flourished  as  the  flowers 
of  perfected  civilization. 

The  village  life  of  his  own  birthplace  was  an  inter 
esting  study  to  Elbert.  His  travel  had  enabled  him 
to  observe  with  the  right  perspective.  The  individual 
ity  of  American  villagers  was  in  sharp  contrast  to  the 
passive  and  ambitionless  existence  of  similar  classes 
in  Europe. 

But  Elbert  waited  an  event. 

It  was  the  night  of  suspense  which  all  young  fathers 
remember  when  the  first  baby  was  born.  Elbert  had 
rushed  for  Dr.  Buzzer,  who  came  down  the  lane  talk 
ing  and  puffing  vigorously. 

"You  young  fellows  get  fearfully  excited,  by  ginger," 
he  said.  "Now  you  just  let  me  watch  this  affair  and 
I'll  see  that  Veo  comes  out  all  right.  Time  you've 
had  nine  or  ten  you'll  not  be  so  nervous,  young  man." 

The  young  mother  was  cared  for  by  Mrs.  Ainsworth, 
with  a  tenderness  almost  equal  to  that  of  her  own  angel 
mother.  "God  save  little  Veo,"  was  the  continuous 
prayer  of  Elbert  during  those  terrible  hours  of  sus 
pense. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  133 

The  little  red-faced  infant  was  placed  in  his  arms. 
What  a  thrill  it  gave  him.  "My  child!  Veo's  baby!" 
Later  he  walked  into  flie  darkened  room. 

"Our  own  baby.  Are  you  happy,  Elbert?"  whispered 
Veo. 

"My  precious  wife;   my  queen!" 

The  little  babe  began  to  cry. 

"Our  dear  little  baby,"  whispered  Veo,  and  her  face 
was  wreathed  in  a  radiant,  angelic  expression  which 
only  young  motherhood  can  give — an  inspiration  for  a 
Raphael's  Madonna. 

A  father!  Elbert  could  scarcely  realize  it.  All  other 
ambitions  now  fade — for  wife  and  baby  come  first. 
"Oh,  God,  I  thank  Thee  for  Thy  goodness,"  he  prayed 
inwardly,  and  felt  the  presence  of  Deity  impelling  that 
secret  prayer  which  many  men  express  in  a  crisis,  al 
though  they  may  be  loth  to  acknowledge  it  later. 


134  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

"Whose  armor  is  his  honest  thought, 
And  simple  truth  his  utmost  skill." 

--Sir  Henry  Wolton. 

The  realization  that  he  was  now  a  "family  man" 
awoke  Elbert  to  the  fact  that  he  must  make  some  ar 
rangements  for  an  income.  He  decided  to  go  direct 
to  Washington,  and  be  in  touch  with  the  political 
powers  that  "expect  to  be"  before  starting  on  his  cam 
paigning  tour.  It  was  the  first  time  he  had  been 
parted  from  Veo  since  their  wedding,  but  it  must  be 
done.  The  baby  Veo  was  flourishing,  and  now  he 
felt  that  the  child  would  naturally  take  some  of  the 
affection  Veo  had  showered  upon  him,  for  while  a 
child  unites  man  and  wife  in  a  holy  parental  tie,  it 
also  divides  them. 

When  he  arrived  in  Washington,  he  found  there 
were  scores  of  others  like  him  awaiting  the  result  of 
the  election  for  "a  plum."  His  record  in  Chicago  con 
fronted  him,  and  he  was  looked  upon  by  jealous  rivals 
as  a  renegade,  having  changed  his  political  beliefs  to 
suit  the  shifting  political  winds.  Matters  began  to 
look  very  discouraging,  when  Elbert  was  introduced 
to  a  member  of  the  President's  cabinet  at  the  Willard. 
They  were  taking  an  evening  smoke  in  the  hotel  office, 
when  Elbert  in  the  course  of  conversation  told  him  of 
his  situation. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  135 

"Bad  thing,  this  depending  on  politics,  young  man. 
That's  why  I'm  a  horse  doctor,"  said  the  secretary, 
stroking  his  long,  gray  beard,  with  a  twinkle  in  his 
eye. 

''And  here  I  am,  loaded  and  primed  for  the  cam 
paign,  but  no  assurance  even  for  expenses,  let  alone 
anything  later." 

"Well,  now,  just  keep  a  stiff  bit,  young  man,  and 
we'll  see  what  can  be  done.  But  the  minute  you  can 
quit  politics  as  a  business,  do  it." 

"If  it  were  not  for  wife  and  baby — " 

"Yes,  yes,  I  understand,"  broke  in  the  secretary; 
"we'll  have  to  see  what  can  be  done.  You  come  with 
me  to  New  York  next  week  and  we'll  see  how  the 
Central  Committee  commissary  feels.  You  better  go 
back  home  and  work  up.  We  all  have  to  serve  a 
political  apprenticeship,  you  know." 

This  was  the  first  ray  of  hope  for  Elbert,  and  he 
spent  the  intervening  time  preparing  his  speeches.  But 
the  events  of  that  week  shriveled  his  ideals  of  Ameri 
can  statesmen.  The  "Division"  in  Washington  tells 
the  story.  Congressmen,  politicians  and  clerks  openly 
and  defiantly  assailing  all  the  tenets  of  pure  manhood. 

"Why,  it  is  necessary  to  go  through  these  exper 
iences,  Ainsworth,  to  be  a  well-rounded  man  of  the 
world,"  said  an  acquaintance  to  Elbert  one  evening  at 
the  hotel. 

"What,  defile  a  home  and  deceive  a  trusting  wife?" 

"Oh,  well,  that  is  how  you  look  at  it.  There  are 
some  who  can  ge*  along  and  not  go  through  the  mill, 


136  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

but  they  are  few  and  their  career  is  decidedly  incom 
plete." 

"I'll  have  to  allow  my  career  to  stop  right  here, 
because  I  consider  that  my  manhood  conies  first." 

"I'm  surprised,  Ainsworth,  that  a  man  who  has  trav 
eled  as  much  as  you  have  should  not  have  his  eyes 
opened.  It's  only  a  little  relaxation,  and  prudes  don't 
always  prosper  in  Washington.  They  are  nonde 
scripts." 

"You  have  indeed  opened  my  eyes,  my  friend.  K 
such  immorality  and  lechery  exists  as  you  say,  the 
corruption  of  the  Roman  empire  was  nothing  in  com 
parison,  but  rest  assured  there  is  a  final  accounting 
for  all  these  things." 

"Bother!  This  thing  is  the  story  of  centuries.  There 
are  few  great  men  who  have  not  had  their  mistresses." 

"No  man  is  great  who  has  wilfully  degraded  him 
self,  and  I'm  quite  willing  to  take  my  chances  with  the 
nondescripts,"  said  Elbert  excitedly. 

The  revelation  was  indeed  astounding.  Public  men 
whose  names  were  on  every  lip  and  even  household 
words  parading  on  Division  at  night  like  skulking 
Satans. 

The  conference  in  New  York  was  successful.  It  is 
prominent  political  friends  who  help  their  successors 
to  places  on  the  political  chessboard,  and  when  Elbert 
\vas  known  as  "the  secretary's  friend"  that  was  enough. 
The  dates  were  arranged  and  he  donned  the  political 
armor  for  the  campaign.  A  few  speeches  in  the  New 
England  states  did  not  attract  any  especial  atten 
tion,  but  in  these  he  was  only  rehearsing  his  work. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  137 

Later  on  he  appeared  with  men  of  national  reputation, 
and  his  vigor,  his  eloquence,  his  thorough  knowledge 
of  the  questions  at  issue,  his  living  pictures  of  the  actual 
condition  of  European  workingmen  under  free  trade 
soon  made  him  felt  as  a  power  in  the  campaign  field. 
He  was  called  the  "young  whirlwind,"  and  his  caustic 
and  sharp  fighting  qualities  brought  him  to  Indiana, 
Ohio  and  the  other  close  states.  The  Central  Com 
mittee  no  longer  haggled  over  his  expense  account. 
In  those  few  months  he  proved  the  man,  possessed 
the  theme,  and  improved  the  occasion  which  made 
him  one  of  the  foremost  of  the  new  orators  in  the  cam 
paign.  The  speeches  were  considered  too  melodrama 
tic  for  permanent  influence,  but  he  always  carried  the 
throng  with  him  in  spite  of  the  severe  criticism  of  the 
opposition  newspapers. 

His  speeches  brought  a  letter  from  one  of  the  friends 
who  had  urged  his  trip  abroad. 

"I  am  gratified  to  know  you  took  my  advice  and 
are  meeting  with  such  unqualified  success.  You  know 
your  facts,  you  feel  your  theme,  you  speak  from  obser 
vation  and  experience.  Is  the  lesson  not  better  learned 
than  from  text-books. 

Elbert's  success  quite  naturally  came  very  near  turn 
ing  his  head,  but  in  the  exciting  whirl  of  the  cam 
paign,  two  or  three  letters  a  week  reached  him  from 
"Your  own  Veo  and  Baby,"  which  managed  to  hold 
him  quite  level.  He  remembered  after  all  who  he  was 
and  what  he  had  been  a  short  time  before. 

"I  want  to  speak  at  Poplarville,  Iowa,"  he  said  to 
the  chairman  one  day. 


138  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"That's  a  small  town  for  you  and  time  is  pressing." 
"Yes,  but  it's  my  old  home  and  my  wife  and  baby 

are  there." 

He  had  his  way  and  his  other  important  dates  were 

canceled. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

"If  two  lives  join,  there  is  oft  a  scar." 

-"By  the  Fireside,"  Browning. 

What  a  thrill  passed  over  Elbert  when  he  arrived 
at  Poplarville  a  few  evenings  later.  The  Poplarville 
country  brass  band  was  there  and  started  in  full  blast 
the  moment  he  appeared.  Cheers  rent  the  air  and 
the  torch  lights  smoked  vigorously.  The  lurid  reflec 
tions  cast  in  all  directions  gave  the  scene  a  weird 
aspect  that  suggested  the  meeting  of  the  ancient  Dru 
ids,  or  a  caucus  in  the  catacombs  of  Rome.  Elbert 
took  his  place  in  the  carriage  beside  Dr.  Buzzer,  who 
was  chairman  of  the  "Committee  on  Reception." 

"We'll  have  a  great  old  crowd  for  you  to-night,  my 
boy;  always  said  so;  but  if  you  spring  any  more  of 
those  political  horse  chestnut  jokes  in  this  neighbor 
hood  I'll  not  promise  to  protect  you.  You  must  give 
it  to  'em  straight  and  pop  it  to  'em  on  the  prohibition 
question,  for  that's  the  ticklish  end  of  the  mule  just 
now." 

Elbert  was  taken  to  his  mother's  home.  Just  a  min 
ute  to  kiss  wife  and  baby  and  partake  of  a  bit  of  sup 
per,  and  the  Committee  arrived  to  escort  him  to  the 
corners  in  a  blaze  of  triumph.  Hundreds  of  people 
had  gathered  there,  the  farmers  having  driven  in  for 


140  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

miles  around,  and  the  torches  gave  the  corners  a  holi 
day  glare.  The  brass  band  scarcely  ceased  playing.  It 
was  an  inspiring  scene,  and  when  Elbert  arrived  there 
was  a  wild  shout.  He  spoke  as  he  had  never  spoken  be 
fore,  feeling  that  he  knew  each  individual  hearer  and 
his  simple  story  arose  to  dangerous  heights  of  elo 
quence.  The  speech  did  not  appear  to  awaken  the 
enthusiasm  anticipated.  In  fact  the  meeting  that 
had  started  in  so  gloriously  had  rather  chilled  at  its 
close. 

"Oh,  we  expected  too  much,  perhaps.  It's  only 
Elbert  Ainsworth." 

"The  same  old  speech  he's  been  giving  months.  I've 
read  it  a  dozen  times  in  the  papers." 

These  were  some  of  the  expressions  of  the  dispers 
ing  throng.  On  the  other  hand,  he  had  a  number  of 
friends  who  after  the  address  gathered  about  to  con 
gratulate  and  shake  hands  with  him.  He  was  about 
to  start  home  with  Dr.  Buzzer  when  a  woman  came 
toward  him. 

"You  here?"  said  Elbert. 

"Yes,  Elbert;  I'm  here  where  I  started  years  ago 
to  begin  life  over,  and  have  accepted  the  school  for  a 
year." 

It  was  Mrs.  Waldie,  his  school  teacher. 

"Why,  what  is  the  cause  of  this?"  he  inquired. 

"It  is  a  long  story,  Elbert,  and  I'll  not  stop  now  to 
relate  it.  You  did  us  proud,  my  boy,  to-night,  and 
you'll  succeed." 

"Come  and  stay  with  us.    Have  you  seen  Veo?" 


BCHS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  141 

"I  will  see  you  all  to-morrow,"  she  said  quietly,  as 

she  left  him. 

******** 

After  Bart's  quarrel  with  Elbert,  and  the  revelation 
of  Paulina  to  Agnes  of  Bart's  past  life,  husband  and 
wife  drifted  farther  apart.  Agnes  made  frequent  and 
long  visits  to  Poplarville,  and  the  gypsy  seemed  to 
shadow  her  until  the  villagers  began  talking.  It  was 
during  the  absence  of  Elbert  and  Veo  abroad,  that 
Jasper  Juniper,  as  justice  of  the  peace,  became  inter 
ested.  He  got  an  inkling  of  Paulina's  story  and  went 
to  see  Bart  in  Chicago. 

He  had  known  Bart's  parents  in  Indiana  before  re 
moving  to  Poplarville  and  felt  interested.  Bart  was 
surprised  to  see  him. 

"I  took  the  first  train  yesterday  from  Poplarville. 
Plutarch  says:  'When  you've  business  with  a  man  go 
and  see  him,  don't  write.'  So  here  I  am.  Bart,  I  must 
see  you.  Sit  down  there,  man,  and  listen  to  me.  I've 
known  you  since  you  wrere  knee  high  to  a  grasshopper, 
but  what  I  want  to  know  is,  is  there  any  truth  in  what 
they  say?" 

"I  don't  know.  What  do  they  say?"  answered  Bart, 
languidly. 

"Well,  for  years  off  and  on  some  Bohemian  or  Hun 
garian,  or  gypsy  woman — 'pears  to  me  more  like  a 
devil  than  a  Christian — well,  this  woman  has  been 
living  in  Poplarville  doing  washing.  She  gave  out  that 
she  had  left  a  band  of  gypsies  at  Davenport  or  Du- 
buque  or  somewhere.  Had  renounced  the  tribe  or 
something,  and  wanted  to  earn  an  honest  living  in 


142  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

our  village.  Of  course  everybody  gave  her  work  and 
she  lived  among  us.  Well,  every  three  months  or  so, 
she  would  disappear.  No  one  thought  anything  about 
it,  knowing  her  gypsy  habits.  Then  she'd  come  back, 
sometimes  sad,  sometimes  gay.  Well,  this  has  been 
going  on  for  two  years  and  a  half. 

"One  time  I  heard  of  her  and  'Snakes'  havin'  a  little 
spat,  but  I  thought  nothing  of  it.  'Snakes'  complained 
at  that  time  that  Paulina — that's  the  woman's  name — 
had  taken  a  picture  that  her  mother  had  given  her, 
but  we  thought  nothing  of  it.  Abner  Tomer  was  for 
having  her  arrested  and  brought  before  me  on  the 
charge  of  larceny.  But  I  pooh-poohed,  I  didn't  want 
no  fee  out  of  'Snakes' '  trouble.  Now  it  appears  why 
Abner  wanted  her  arrested.  Well,  nothing  happened 
with  Paulina  till  a  few  days  ago.  Agnes  had  come 
down,  you  know — for — well — for  a  visit.  She  goes 
to  Mrs.  Ainsworth's.  Don't  find  the  children  there, 
so  she  goes  to  Chatsworth's.  I  found  out,  unbeknown 
to  any,  that  the  devil  of  a  Paulina  comes  to  Chicago 
and  saw  your  wife.  Now  what  passed  is  not  quite 
certain,  but  things  began  to  be  whispered  around  the 
village,  ugly  things  against  you  being  married  before, 
and  about  'Snakes.'  Bart,  my  boy,  I  traced  them  all 
to  this  Paulina.  I  sent  the  deputy  sheriff  for  her.  I 
examined  her,  and  now,  Bart,  I  want  to  know  if  the 
mess  of  stuff  she  told  me  is  true  or  not." 

"Uncle  Jasper,  I  think — " 

"Answer  me,  my  boy;  I  am  your  father's  old  friend. 
What  relation  have  you  with  this  woman?  Does  she 
speak  the  truth?  Agnes  may  be  to  you  the  same  as 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  143 

ever,  but  her  heart  is  crushed.  So  here  I  am  to  know; 
does  this  she-fiend  speak  the  truth?" 

"Partly  yes  and  partly  no." 

"Out  with  it,  then;  give  me  the  facts." 

"When  I  left  dear  old  Mount  Ariel  I  thought  it 
would  be  a  great  thing  to  have  money,  swing  precincts 
and  all  that  sort  of  thing.  The  little  money  I  made 
from  my  first  contract  I  squandered  with  the  boys. 
You  know  how  it  goes.  Well,  one  night  in  a  little  hell 
on  Clark  Street  a  flower  girl  came  in.  Beneath  the 
rags  there  was  beauty,  yes,  refinement.  The  girl  struck 
my  fancy — God  forgive  me — I  picked  her  up —  Oh! 
I  cannot,  I  cannot — "  he  broke  down,  with  his  head 
upon  the  table. 

"And  this  Paulina?"  asked  Jasper. 

"Is  her  mother.  I  never  loved  her.  But  she,  she 
gave  me  all  that  a  woman  can  give — her  body,  her 
soul,  her  all;  and  I,  the  miserable  wretch  that  I  was, 
thinking  that  the  life  of  a  sport,  a  ward  bummer,  a 
pot-house  politician,  was  the  road  to  fame  and  wealth, 
taunted  by  the  boys  with  the  sophistry  of  the  saloon — 
every  public  man  must  have  his  mistress — I  fell.  Oh, 
Uncle  Jasper,  can  you  conceive  for  one  moment  the 
cancerous  conscience  that  I  have  carried  around  with 
me  these  years?" 

"And  where  is  this  woman?" 

"In  New  York.  I  have  since  sent  her  a  weekly  al 
lowance." 

"Her  mother  says  you  were  married  to  her  daugh 
ter." 

"Never." 


144  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"But  she  shows  a  marriage  certificate." 

"Another  evidence  of  my  weak  folly.  Her  mother 
sold  her  to  me  for  five  hundred  dollars.  Finding  I 
could  not  rob  her  of  her  virtue,  she — she  is  a  noble, 
pure,  true  woman — I  am  the  guilty  wretch — we  pre 
tended  to  be  married.  Uncle  Jasper!  Life  is  real, 
earnest,  weak,  passionate,  devilish,  tender,  pathetic, 
true,  and  false.  Have  you  any  idea — you,  living  in 
the  quiet,  peaceful,  pastoral  simplicity  of  Poplarville — 
have  you  any  idea  how  many  times  a  day,  in  this 
great  city  of  Chicago,  in  every  city  of  the  world,  every 
day  in  the  year,  some  man  is  deceiving  some  woman? 
Oh!  for  my  mother!  my  mother!" 

"Yes,  she  died  soon  after  poor  Wesley's  death,  and 
never  knew  this,  Bart." 

"One  minute.  I  have  nothing  to  say  in  defense,  only 
this — that  before  marrying  Agnes  I  determined  to  re 
form,  sent  Naomi  to  New  York,  paid  Paulina  two 
thousand  dollars  for  all  claims  and  the  surrender  of 
the  false  certificate.  I  have  it  here,  meant  to  destroy 
it  long  ago.  Gone!  That  she-devil  has  stolen  it."  He 
found  the  paper  had  been  taken  from  his  desk. 

"Then  you  have  seen  her  since  you  broke  with  her?" 

"Yes;  she  has  followed  me  up  until  my  life  has  been 
a  hell,  a  living  hell." 

"There's  something  more — " 

"No;   nothing  more.'' 

"Hints  are  thrown  out  about  'Snakes.'  This  Pau 
lina  says — " 

"She  would  dare  to  say  anything.     But  as  God  is 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  145 

my  living  judge,  Naomi  is  the  only  woman  I  have  de 
ceived." 

"Abner  was  telling  me  something  about  a  picture  of 
yours,  which  this  Paulina  brought  you  after  Elbert's 
wedding." 

"How  did  you  know  that  Paulina  brought  me  any 
picture?  Here  is  the  picture,"  he  said,  pulling  out  the 
likeness  from  his  desk.  "It  is  one  I  sent  to  mother 
years  ago.  A  birthday  present.  She  wanted  one.  I 
supposed  Paulina  had  stolen  it  to  frighten  more  money 
out  of  me." 

"Bart,  I  know  you  to  be  a  man  of  generous,  warm 
hearted  impulses.  Everybody  in  Poplarville  has  felt 
your  kindness  and  loves  Agnes.  Mary  Jane,  me,  the 
doctor,  everyone.  These  things  pain  us  all.  What 
can  I  tell  them?" 

"Tell  them  the  truth.  Tell  them  that  only  those 
who  have  been  tempted  in  city  life  can  judge.  They 
will  not  be  hard  upon  me." 

"Perhaps  not;  only  skinflints  like  Abner.  You  have 
tried  to  repair  the  wrong — in  part — Agnes  will  forgive 
you.  Tell  her  the  truth  yourself." 

"I  cannot — you  tell  her.  I  have  tried  to  be  a  good 
husband  to  her.  I  love  her  truly,  devotedly." 

"I  believe  it.  You  should  have  told  her  yourself 
before  you  were  married.  Your  passionate  nature 
makes  you  strong  friends,  equally  strong  enemies. 
You  cherish  bitter  feelings;  sometimes  beyond  reason. 
There's  Elbert,  for  instance." 

"Why  did  he  not  stick  to  his  friends?  I  stick  to 
mine." 


146  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"Yes,  I  know;  but  his  mind  moves  in  a  different 
channel.  In  Fowler  on  Common  Sense,  for  in 
stance — " 

Agnes  came  in  just  then  and  greeted  them  both 
with  a  sad  smile. 

"Agnes,  let  Jasper  tell  you  all — Paulina— 

"Not  yet,  Bart;  I—" 

This  was  the  brief  and  unfortunate  speech  that 
aroused  Bart's  fury. 

"Not  yet?  See,  Jasper,  that  is  the  woman  of  it; 
they  never  forgive." 

"But,  Bart,  listen,"  said  Jasper. 

"I  will  not  listen.  It  is  all  over  between  us,"  he 
replied,  fiercely. 

"Agnes,  you  better  go;  I  cannot  stand  this  cool 
scorn,"  he  continued,  turning  away  with  suppressed 
feeling. 

"Bart,  as  you  will;  but  I  remember  my  duty  as  a 
wife—" 

Bart  had  rushed  out  of  the  house  without  a  good 
bye. 

There  was  a  flood  of  tears,  and  Jasper  tried  to  com 
fort  the  weeping  wife  as  best  he  could. 

"Mrs.  Waldie,  I  don't  know  what  to  say.  But  come 
to  Poplarville  and  teach  again.  It  will  all  come  out 
right  sometime." 

Married  life  was  a  puzzle  to  Jasper,  and  Agnes  went 
to  Poplarville. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  147 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

"No  man's  pie  is  freed 
From  his  ambitious  finger." 

— Shakespeare. 

New  stars  in  the  political  firmament  are  regarded 
with  more  or  less  suspicion  by  older  politicians.  It 
takes  something  more  than  a  public  '"hit"  to  gain  a 
foothold.  The  active  manipulators  have  the  machinery 
well  in  hand,  and  it  requires  a  similar  agency  to  gain 
a  foothold. 

When  a  young  politician's  power  is  well  defined  and 
his  strength  proven  by  a  positive  following,  then 
thoughts  are  seriously  entertained  of  admitting  him 
as  a  possibility.  Elbert  discovered  the  process  of  slow 
growth.  Following  his  success  as  a  campaign  orator, 
he  thought  a  congressional  nomination  would  only  be 
the  expression  of  the  wish,  but  he  found  the  ambitions 
of  several  wealthy  men  in  the  way.  They  looked  for 
it  as  the  reward  of  long  years  of  party  service  and  con 
tributions  to  political  campaign  funds.  He  also  ob 
served  that  the  most  successful  aspirants  for  political 
honors  hailed  from  the  country  districts,  where  they 
were  enabled  to  attach  to  themselves  a  loyal  following, 
which  the  distracting  jealousies  of  the  city  would  not 
permit. 

In  carefully  analyzing  the  situation  he  concluded  to 
give  up  the  practice  of  law  in  the  city  and  begin  a  po- 


148  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

litical  apprenticeship  in  his  own  home  district,  realizing 
that  his  equipment  for  the  profession  of  law  was  not 
sufficient  to  cope  with  the  material  turned  out  by  the 
advanced  law  schools. 

Elbert's  new  political  wires  were  laid  by  having 
friends  in  Poplarville  announce  him  as  a  delegate  to 
the  state  convention.  A  systematic  campaign  was  in 
augurated  on  Bart  Waldie's  plan,  carefully  following 
up  every  possible  advantage.  The  beginning  was 
rather  discouraging,  as  Elbert  was  regarded  as  an  in 
terloper  by  the  men  who  usually  "run  things."  But 
they  had  been  in  power  so  long  that  he  conceived  the 
idea  of  heading  a  movement  against  the  old  ring.  He 
had  the  ready  support  of  those  disappointed  in  secur 
ing  favors,  and  the  periodical  public  spasm  for  a 
change  was  just  then  imminent.  After  a  series  of 
caucus  contests  he  was  successful  in  being  named  as 
a  delegate  to  the  state  convention  preceding  the  next 
general  election. 

The  same  reaction  against  the  political  powers  that 
were  in  the  saddle  was  apparent  at  the  state  convention. 
The  cry  of  the  opposition  was  to  "give  the  young  men 
a  chance,"  and  Elbert  was  not  overlooked,  and  the 
constant  recurrence  of  his  name  in  print,  even  though 
the  object  of  vituperative  abuse,  he  viewed  with  com 
placent  satisfaction.  It  is  the  old  theory  of  sarsaparilla 
and  pills,  and  too  much  abuse  is  better  than  faint 
hearted  praise,  he  meditated. 

At  the  state  convention  he  was  on  the  ground  early, 
making  acquaintances  and  forming  all  sorts  of  com 
binations.  He  assumed  a  positive  strength,  having 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  149 

first  united  the  delegates  from  his  district  by  making 
up  a  slate  with  four  state  officers  upon  it,  so  that  if  the 
first  failed  there  would  be  three  chances  left.  He  be 
came  the  particular  champion  of  the  farmer  boys,  and 
his  familiarity  with  political  and  parliamentary  tactics 
at  once  gave  him  prominence. 

"We  must  ask  for  everything  and  keep  up  a  bold 
front,  or  we  will  get  nothing,"  was  Elbert's  admonition 
to  his  colleagues. 

The  contest  was  waging  between  two  dividing  fac 
tions  in  the  state,  headed  by  two  of  the  prominent  men. 
The  weaker  side  at  once  sought  a  conference  with  El- 
bert,  and  he  named  the  terms.  The  preliminary  or 
ganization,  the  temporary  chairman's  address,  and  the 
naming  of  the  committees  was  completed  at  the  morn 
ing  session.  Elbert  and  his  district  delegation  were 
purposely  ignored  by  the  opposing  powers  who  con 
trolled  the  organization.  At  the  recess  this  fact  was 
used  to  further  solidify  his  own  delegation,  and  to 
bring  into  his  camp  all  of  the  disappointed  elements. 
Elbert  ate  no  luncheon  during  the  recess  and  at  2:30 
o'clock  was  ready  for  the  contest.  He  felt  there  was  a 
fighting  chance,  although  there  were  four  important 
offices  to  fill  and  five  candidates  conceded  as  entitled  to 
nominations.  One  of  these  men  was  from  Elbert's  dis 
trict,  a  prominent  man,  but  not  a  politician,  and  he  nat 
urally  gave  Elbert  charge  of  his  interests.  To  be  frank, 
Elbert  conceived  the  idea  of  making  a  show  of  a  ter 
rific  fight  for  his  man,  but  inwardly  he  wanted  him 
beaten,  because  if  defeated  he  felt  the  district  delega 
tion  would  stand  closer  together  in  the  future,  and  it 


150  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

would  effectually  dispose  of  his  only  rival  for  the  future 
honors  he  might  desire. 

The  first  ballot  was  a  struggle  between  the  Titans. 
Elbert  and  his  delegation  remained  true  to  their  prom 
ise,  and  the  "powers  that  be"  narrowly  escaped  defeat. 
Then  Elbert  arose,  and  in  a  passionate  plea  for  peace 
and  harmony  moved  the  nomination  of  the  defeated 
candidate  by  acclamation  to  the  next  important  office, 
thus  breaking  the  slate.  It  was  a  surprise  and  carried, 
fairly  stampeding  the  convention.  This  left  only  two 
candidates  to  be  chosen  from  the  three  aspirants.  El 
bert  tried  in  the  spirit  of  zealous  friendship  to  force 
his  district  candidate  on  the  next  ballot.  This  aroused 
the  suspicion  of  the  friends  of  the  candidate  next  on 
the  list  with  whom  Elbert  had  made  a  combination, 
and  they  began  to  seriously  fear  for  their  own  welfare. 
The  election  of  the  two  Titans  representing  opposing 
forces  indicated  that  one  of  the  remaining  candidates 
must  be  offered  as  a  sacrifice,  and  all  of  the  perfected 
combinations  of  the  morning  were  at  once  thrown 
into  confusion.  Friends  became  foes,  and  Elbert's  man 
was  defeated  on  that  ballot.  This  left  only  one  place 
and  two  candidates,  and  the  defeat  of  Elbert's  protege 
in  forcing  the  ballot  ahead  of  the  agreed  programme 
had  apparently  doomed  his  district's  nominee  to  defeat. 
As  the  nomination  of  the  last  opponent  was  being 
made,  Elbert  heard  whispers  among  his  own  delega 
tion  that  he  had  sold  them  out,  and  he  saw  at  a  glance 
that  his  first  plan  of  shelving  his  rival  would  be  fatal 
to  his  own  interests;  they  had  surmised  his  purpose. 
He  arose  and  paid  a  glowing  tribute  to  the  opposing 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  151 

candidate.  It  created  a  sensation  and  he  followed 
with  an  eloquent  plea  for  fair  play,  insisting  that  all 
of  the  nominees  who  had  been  named  thus  far  were 
from  one  side  of  a  dividing  line  in  the  state  and  that 
his  own  half  of  the  state  was  not  represented.  The 
opposing  candidate,  he  continued,  was  too  fair  a  man 
and  too  loyal  to  his  party  to  deny  the  entire  western 
part  of  the  state  at  least  a  show  of  representation  on 
the  ticket.  He  closed  with  an  eloquent  tribute  to  his 
party,  saying  that  its  traditions  and  principles  would 
never  countenance  injustice;  that  his  portion  of  the 
state  was  a  great  bulwark  of  the  party,  deserving  rec 
ognition.  The  effect  was  felt,  and  his  opponents  of 
only  a  few  moments  ago  became  his  allies,  and  his 
allies  became  his  opponents;  the  latter  made  abusive 
speeches  as  to  Elbert  and  his  candidate  playing  them 
false.  He  pulled  the  coat  tails  of  his  colleagues  who 
were  on  their  feet  anxious  to  reply  to  the  implied  insult. 
"We  submit  ourselves  as  martyrs  for  the  harmony 
of  the  party;  we  ask  this  favor  not  for  ourselves  but 
for  the  entire  western  half  of  the  state,"  said  Elbert  in 
closing  the  debate. 

The  result  of  the  ballot  was  awaited  with  great  sus 
pense,  and  Elbert  felt  that  he  had  lost.  There  was  a 
wild  cheer  as  the  last  district  was  polled,  as  the  delega 
tion  had  divided  its  vote,  and  it  elected  Elbert's  man 
by  five  majority.  The  adherents  of  the  second  can 
didate  whom  Elbert  had  nominated  by  acclamation 
came  to  his  rescue,  although  in  the  ballot  just  pre 
ceding  they  were  avowed  opponents.  The  delegation 


152  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

from  Elbert's  district  cheered  wildly  and  he  was  made 
the  hero  of  the  hour. 

"Young  man,  you  are  an  honor  to  our  district,"  said 
the  successful  nominee,  shaking  his  hand,  "and  any 
thing  I  can  ever  do  for  you,  simply  call  on  me." 

Elbert  did  not  forget  the  promise,  as  his  thoughts 
centered  upon  a  certain  congressional  nomination  that 
fall.  But  there  were  many  things  yet  in  the  way. 

The  stirring  events  of  that  state  convention  gave 
Elbert  not  only  a  political  prominence  throughout  the 
state,  but  made  him  a  person  of  particular  importance 
in  his  own  congressional  district.  Each  one  of  the 
delegates  went  home  feeling  a  special  interest  in  him, 
and  his  congressional  candidacy  a  few  months  later 
brought  him  a  large  number  of  active  supporters.  Yet 
it  is  doubtful  if  he  would  have  been  able  to  have  over 
thrown  the  established  and  decreed  order  of  succession 
and  re-election,  had  it  not  been  for  the  death  of  the 
incumbent,  who  sought  re-election,  and  the  unsettled 
political  situation  at  that  time.  The  cry  of  the  dema 
gogue  was  loud  in  the  land  and  shrewd  politicians  be 
gan  to  tremble.  The  congressional  nomination  was 
secured  by  Elbert  after  an  arduous  campaign,  and  he 
could  scarcely  conceive  that  the  ambitions  of  his  youth 
were  realized.  But  he  had  not  been  elected,  and  this 
was  the  time  of  political  landslides. 


BOSS   BART,   POLITICIAN.  153 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

"Every  day  brings  a  ship, 

Every  ship  brings  a  word; 
Well  for  those  who  have  no  fear, 

Looking  seaward, 
Well  assured 

That  the  word  the  vessel  brings 
Is  the  word  they  wish  to  hear." 

— Emerson. 

The  campaign  was  near  an  end,  and  Elbert  had 
returned  home  to  spend  election  day  with  Veo,  who 
had  remained  at  Poplarville  with  her  father  during 
Elbert's  campaign  tour.  Silas  Chatsworth  was  stand 
ing  at  the  window,  and  called  out  to  Dr.  Buzzer  who 
drove  past  the  door: 

"Hey,  Buzzer,  have  you  voted  yet?" 

"No,  not  yet.  I'm  on  my  way  for  the  judge.  He's 
rather  feeble  of  late,  so  I  thought  I'd  tote  him  down 
in  my  rig." 

"Get  out  the  full  vote  if  you  can.  Send  down  Shandy 
for  my  bay  mare.  All  the  horses  are  up  in  the  village. 
The  poor  child's  been  ailing  lately." 

"Noticed  that  for  the  last  week.  Silas,  look  out  for 
her;  she  has  heart  trouble,  and  any  sudden  excite 
ment  is  liable  to — 

"Better  stop  on  your  way  back  and  take  another 
look  at  her." 

"Yes,  I  will,"  said  the  doctor. 


154  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

As  Elbert  entered  the  room  the  farmer  continued: 
"Elbert,  are  you  going  up  to  the  village  this  evening? 
It's  only  an  hour  before  the  polls  close.  Seems  to  me 
you  would  be  anxious  to  know  how  the  thing  stands." 

"Can't  tell;  perhaps  so.  Veo's  not  well  and  I  hate 
to  leave  her  with  the  baby." 

"Well,  there's  Snakes — and  me." 

"You !  I  fancy,  father,  your  days  for  handling  babies 
are  gone  by." 

"Humph!  A  grandfather's  hand  is  the  hand  of  ex 
perience.  Better  not  reflect  on  your  Uncle  Jasper  that 
way." 

Abner  Tomer  in  passing  looked  in  at  the  door  and 
said,  excitedly: 

"Just  looked  in  to  say,  Elbert,  that  you'd  better 
go  to  Dunham's,  over  the  river,  if  you  don't  want  to 
get  left  on  that  precinct.  They're  ten  ahead  of  ye,  so 
I'm  told,  and  paying  three  dollars  apiece  for  votes, 
more'n  a  week's  wages,  by  gosh." 

"Mr.  Tomer,"  said  Elbert,  drawing  himself  up 
proudly,  "if  I  am  elected  to  Congress  it  will  be  with 
clean  hands;  I  wish  no  taint  of  bribing  to  be  attached 
to  my  career." 

Mary  Jane  swept  into  the  room  as  busy  as  ever  and 
disturbed  the  conference.  "Elbert,  Veo  wants  you 
quick.  Abner,  run  down — that's  if  you  can  run,  and 
send  Jasper  here.  Veo's  taken  sudden  and  wants  to 
see  him.  Oh,  Abner,  just  go  in  my  back  door,  no, 
tell  Jasper  to — tell  him  to  bring  me  two  yards  of  red 
flannel,  he'll  find  it  in  my  top  drawer,  and  Abner, 
Abner—" 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  155 

"Well,  what  is  it?"  growled  the  deacon,  leaving. 

"Tell  him  to  bring  my  thimble  on  the  window  sill  in 
the  sitting-room,"  shrieked  Mary  Jane. 

"Darn  women,  anyhow,"  mumbled  Abner,  and  shuf 
fled  off. 

"Can't  find  a  decent  thimble  anywhere,"  continued 
Mary  Jane.  "Mrs.  Chatsworth,  dear  Lucy,  left  a  thim 
ble  on  that  window  when  she  died;  but  land  o'  Goshen, 
that  was  five  years  ago.  'Snakes,'  come  here. 

"Snakes"  came  in  slowly  in  response  to  the  call. 

"Veo's  worse  and  I  sha'n't  go  home  to-night.  'Sides, 
I  'spect  Elbert  will  be  elected  to  Congress  to-day.  If 
he  is,  everybody  will  be  up  here  sure  as  gunpowder. 
Now  hustle,  and  have  everything  that'll  hold  water 
clean  and  ready." 

"Can  I  live  here  always,  Miss  Toots?"  said  Snakes. 
"That's  until  I  go  to  mother — she's  dead,  but  she  talks 
to  me  every  night.  Mr.  Chatsworth  says  I  keep  the 
flowers  in  order  and  the  buckets  filled,  and  never  touch 
his  shaving  soap,  and  keep  quiet  when  he  reads  the 
paper,  and  I  want  to  stay." 

"Yes,  Snakes,  as  long  as  you  are  a  good  girl  you 
can  stay,"  said  Mary  Jane,  still  busy  with  her  sewing 
at  the  window. 

Elder  Whoops  at  that  moment  drove  by  and  Mary 
Jane  saluted  him: 

"Elder,  stop  a  bit;  don't  go  by.  How  is  Sister 
Whoops?  Well,  I  hope?  And  all  the  olive  branches, 
young  and  old,  from  Melancthon  down  to  Victoria?" 

"Sister  Toots,  middlin',  thank  you,  middlin'." 

"Any  news?" 


156  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"None;  just  voted  for  Elbert.  If  he  is  elected  say 
a  good  word  for  me.  Tell  him  to  have  me  appointed 
chaplain  in  the  navy  yard.  I  can  fill  the  yard,  and 
Sister  Toots,  if  there's  a  small  piece  of  your  renowned 
pumpkin  pie  in  the  larder  and  a  hunk  of  head-cheese, 
I  can  stay  the  inner  man  till  I  get  home.  It's  no 
trouble,  I  hope." 

"Not  in  the  least,  Elder.  Just  wait  a  minute,"  said 
Alary  Jane,  putting  down  her  work  and  going  out. 
Elbert  assisted  Veo  into  the  room,  gently  supporting 
her  in  his  arms. 

"Why,  there's  Elder  Whoops,"  said  Elbert,  pushing 
the  chair  in  which  he  had  placed  Veo  towards  the 
window.  "Good  evening,  Elder;  been  to  town?  How's 
the  election?"  continued  Elbert. 

"Yes;  just  been  and  voted  for  you.  Drove  in  on 
purpose.  The  talk  is  that  you  will  go  to  Congress 
by  two  thousand  majority,"  said  the  elder,  with  a 
flourish  of  his  whip. 

"That'll  be  perfectly  lovely,"  said  Veo,  with  a  quiet 
smile. 

"I  hope  so,  and  yet  I  don't.  Political  honors  do 
not  appear  the  same  to  me  that  they  did  three  years 
ago.  I  have  seen  too  much  rottenness  of  political  life," 
said  Elbert. 

"Ah,  if  all  men  were  honest  and  true  to  principle," 
said  the  elder  solemnly. 

"There  you  touch  the  sore  spot  in  the  body  politic. 
Honesty  and  adherence  to  principle.  I  tell  you, Elder, 
I  would  sooner  cut  my  right  hand  off  than  have  Tom, 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  157 

Dick  and  Harry  pass  me  with  a  sneer,  saying,  'Oh, 
he's  like  the  rest;  he's  feathered  his  nest.'  That  would 
be  a  pretty  legacy  to  leave  my  Veo.  A  political  swind 
ler,  a  common  briber,  a  robber  of  the  people!" 

"That's  the  reason  we  have  elected  you,"  said  Jas 
per,  just  coming  in.  "We  want  one  who  is  honest  to 
represent  us.  Elder,  how  is  the  vote?" 

"Here,  Elder,  better  tie  up  and  come  in,"  broke  in 
Mary  Jane,  returning  with  the  pie. 

"Can't  stop,  sister;  it's  growing  dark  and  five  miles 
to  go.  Thank  you.  Your  pies  are — dear  me — we 
never  stop  talking  of  that  wedding  supper  you  got  up 
for  Veo,"  said  the  elder,  taking  large  bites  out  of  the 
pie. 

"Why,  that's  nearly  four  years  ago,  Elder,"  said 
Veo. 

"So  long?"  said  the  Elder,  with  his  mouth  full. 

"We  have  decided  to  make  this  our  home,"  said  Veo. 

"Where  you'll  live  and  end  your  days,  I  hope,"  said 
Mary  Jane. 

"Yes,  I'll  end  them  here,"  replied  Veo,  sadly. 

"Veo,  child,  I  can't  bear  to  see  you  talk  like  that," 
broke  in  Jasper;  "Elbert  will  take  you  to  Washing 
ton  ;  I  am  sure  a  change  of  climate — 

"Home,  sweet  word,"  broke  in  Veo. 

"Jasper  Juniper,  I've  been  trying  for  ten  minutes 
to  get  a  word  in  edgewise.  Did  you  get  me  the  flan 
nel?"  broke  in  Mary  Jane. 

"Couldn't  find  it,  so  I  brought  you  a  piece  of  cotton," 
Jasper  replied,  meekly. 

"Cotton!    I  don't  want  cotton.    Now — " 


158  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"Whoa!  Whoa!"  said  the  elder  to  his  horse,  which 
was  anxious  to  go,  seeing  Shandy  come  down  the 
road.  "Shandy,  if  you  are  determined  to  ride  a  bicy 
cle  don't  frighten  every  four-legged  critter  on  the  high 
road.  Well,  good  evening.  Hope,  Veo,  you'll  be 
around  to-morrow.  Put  your  feet  in  mustard  water, 
and  give  her  a  hot  lemonade,  Mary  Jane.  Get  up 
there. 

"Now  I  can  read  my  title  clear, 

'To  mansions  In  the  skies'," 

sang  the  jolly  elder  as  he  drove  off. 

"Land  o'  Goshen!  Nothing  ready  to  give  the  boys, 
just  a  taste  of  acid  with  the  water  when  they  come 
to-night.  I've  got  five  pans  of  gingerbread  baking 
and  Snakes  is  cutting  the  ham.  Now,  fly,  Shandy, 
and  get  some  lemons,"  ordered  Mary  Jane. 

"Take  the  bay  mare,  Shandy,"  said  Farmer  Chats- 
worth. 

"Not  much;  I've  got  something  that  will  fly  by 
any  gray  or  bay  mare,"  said  Shandy,  as  he  mounted  his 
wheel. 

"Buzzer  said  he'd  stop  in  a  minute  with  the  news," 
said  Jasper,  preparing  to  go,  "but  I  can't  wait  for  him. 
Mrs.  Speigles  wants  her  shoes  to-night,  and  I've  not 
finished  that  last  volume  of  Plutarch's  Lives.  Then  the 
boys  want  me  to  lead  the  procession  to-night.  Any 
thing  more  you  want,  Mary  Jane?" 

"Come  back  surely,  Uncle  Jasper,"  called  out  Veo. 
"I've  got  something  particular  to  say  to  you.  I'm  not 
strong  and  it  is  about  'Snakes'." 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  159 

"Don't  worry,  Veo;  I'll  be  back,"  called  out  the 
good-natured  cobbler. 

"Elbert,  your  ship  is  nearing  port.  I  can  almost  see 
its  sails  near  at  hand.  Will  it  bring  the  word  you  wish 
to  hear.  Alas!  what  tidings  will  it  bring?"  said  Veo. 

"My  own  little  captain  is  nervous.  My  election  is 
assured  and  good  tidings  are  at  hand." 

But  Elbert  never  forgot  those  words. 

"What  are  you  doing,  Elbert?"  continued  Veo,  as 
Elbert  sat  down  to  write  at  the  table. 

"I  suppose  the  boys  will  call  on  me  for  a  reply  to 
night  if  I'm  elected.  Must  have  something  ready,  you 
know." 

"Let  me  sit  here  while  you  write,"  said  Veo,  sitting 
on  the  same  chair  behind  him.  "Just  go  on  with  your 
work;  I  won't  disturb  you." 

"I  never  want  you  a  moment  from  me,  my  precious 
wife;  you  are  my  inspiration,  my  pride,"  said  Elbert, 
kissing  her;  "now,  let  me  think:  'Fellow-citizens  and 
neighbors',"  read  Elbert  as  he  wrote,  "  'I  thank  you  for 
your  good  wishes ;  one  of  my  first  efforts  in  Congress 
will  be—'" 

"You  can  think  while  I  sew,  can't  you?"  broke  in 
Veo. 

"Yes,  yes;  now  let  me  see,  where  was  I?  Oh,  yes; 
— 'efforts  in  Congress  will  be — will  be  to  so  adjust  the 
agricultural  and  labor  interests — ',"  continued  Elbert, 
writing. 

"I  won't  talk,  Elbert,  but  when  do  you  suppose 
Agnes  is  coming?" 

"  'That  the  wage  workers',"  said  Elbert,  as  he  kept 


160  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

on  writing  a  moment  without  speaking.  "What  did 
you  say?" 

"Agnes;   when  will  she  come?" 

"  'Unquestionably  the  tariff  interests',"  said  Elbert, 
going  on  with  his  writing.  "Oh,  Agnes;  I  suppose 
she  will  be  down  to  supper — glad  she  is  coming;  want 
to  see  her  about  Bart,"  he  said,  writing  all  the  time 
he  was  talking.  "  Then  the  duty  on  steel  rails — ' " 

"Oh,  Elbert,  that  pen  scratches  so.  It  makes  me 
nervous.  Let  me  get  you  another.  It  acts  as  if  it 
were  vexed." 

"This  is  all  right;  ' — here  in  my  old  home  where  I 
was  raised  from  a  baby — ' " 

"Oh,  Elbert,  didn't  you  know  the  baby  had  a  tooth?" 

"Has  it?  Where  from  a  tooth" — he  scratched — 
"  'from  a  baby — where  the  wool  is  raised  on  our  own 
farms — where — the  farmer — the  baby,  the  home — '  " 
He  got  up  and  threw  the  pen  down  in  disgust  as  Veo 
arose  from  her  chair. 

"Baby's  crying,  Elbert;  you  won't  mind  it  if  I  go  and 
lie  down  a  little  while;  I'm  so  tired — but  I  ought  to 
help  you." 

"No,  darling  wife,"  he  said,  stooping  and  kissing 
her. 

"It's  getting  pretty  dark,  hold  me  closer,  Elbert.  Will 
you  be  very,  very  sorry  if  I  should  die  sometime?"  she 
said,  giving  him  that  old,  soulful  glance. 

"Don't  talk  that  way,  my  little  darling,  don't." 

"I  can't  help  it,  Elbert.  I  want,  oh !  so  much,  to  see 
the  old  tree.  Let's  go  there  to-morrow  with  baby." 

"Yes,  certainly." 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  161 

> 

"Elbert,  I  can't  live  long;  but,  oh,  I  can't  leave  you 

and  the  baby." 

"For  God's  sake,  don't  talk  so,  Veo.  We  are  going 
to  Washington,  and  the  change " 

"Never  for  me,  dear  husband.  Promise  me  that 
you  will  bury  me  under  the  old  tree,  our  trysting  place, 
near  Jasper's  shop  and  Mary  Jane's  home." 

"Veo,  I  can't  stand  it.  Buzzer  says  you  are  going  to 
get  well ;  to  be  better  to-morrow.  Of  course,  you  will. 
You  are  only  tired  from  moving." 

"I'm  so  tired.  Hold  my  hand,  Elbert.  Why,  Elbert, 
you  are  weeping,"  said  Veo,  awakening  suddenly;  "I 
am  so  sorry.  Don't,  don't  cry." 

"No,  pet,  go  to  sleep,"  said  Elbert,  and  he  laid  her 
down  gently  on  the  lounge. 

"Here  they  come,  the  whole  township;  they  can't 
keep  up  with  the  wheel,"  said  Shandy  rushing  into  the 
room  as  distant  shouts  were. heard  down  the  road, 
growing  nearer  and  nearer. 

"Elbert,  they  are  coming,"  shouted  Farmer  Chats- 
worth. 

"Hush.     Veo  is  trying  to  sleep." 

The  shouts  continued,  with  "Hurrah!"  "Hurrah!" 
"Elbert  is  elected."  "What's  the  matter  with  Poplar- 
ville?"  "Three  cheers  for  Veo!"  and  a  mammoth  bon 
fire  was  lighted  just  outside  as  the  crowds  gathered 
around  the  windows  and  veranda,  the  small  boys 
perched  in  the  trees  and  upon  the  long  hitching  posts 
in  front. 

In  response  to  the  general  cry  for  a  speech,  Elbert 


162  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

» 

appeared  at  the  window  and  begun:  "Fellow-citizens!  I 
thank  you  for  your  cordial  demonstrations;  for  your 
confidence,  for  your  interests  in  pure  politics,  for 
your " 

"Elbert,  come  here,  quick ;  look  at  Veo,"  called  Mary 
Jane. 

When  Elbdrt  began  speaking,  Veo  had  raised  herself 
on  the  lounge,  and  Elbert  rushed  to  her,  taking  her  in 
his  arms.  "Veo,  look  up,  speak  to  me.  Doctor,  do 
something."  The  doctor  felt  her  pulse,  and  shook  his 
head.  "What  is  life  without  my  wife?  My  God,  doctor, 
don't  say  she's  dead,"  he  moaned. 

Dr.  Buzzer  went  to  the  door  and  put  up  his  hand; 
the  shouts  ceased  in  an  instant,  and  even  the  flickering 
shadows  of  the  bonfires  began  to  fade  away.  Veo's 
parched  lips  had  scarcely  moved,  but  it  was  a  good 
bye.  Elbert  kissed  her  and  laid  her  down,  and  left 
the  weeping  friends  with  his  dead.  Not  a  tear  would 
flow.  He  was  dazed.  The  huzzahs  of  the  multitude  a 
moment  ago  seemed  like  hollow  mockery.  Why 
should  he  have  to  lose  her?  Memories  of  their  happy 
married  life  came  rushing  through  his  mind.  Had  he 
always  been  kind  to  her?  Was  his  ambitious  struggle 
worth  anything  without  Veo? 

A  noise  from  the  cradle  started  him.  "Poor  little 
motherless  babe,"  he  cried,  and  then  the  torrent  of 
tears  broke  forth. 

"Veo!  Veo!  My  wife!  My  love!  Speak  again!  My 
God,  the  light  of  my  life  has  gone  out!"  and  he  sobbed 
over  the  cradle,  mingling  his  cries  with  those  of  the 
motherless  babe. 


BOSS   BART,    POLITICIAN.  163 

Elbert's  ship  had  arrived.  Death  was  at  the  helm, 
and  Ambition,  with  a  mocking  smile,  brought  him  the 
word  he  had  longed  to  hear. 


164  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

"Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan."— Holy  Writ. 

"If  a  due  participation  of  office  is  a  matter  of  right,  how 
are  vacancies  to  be  obtained?  Those  by  deaths  are  few,  by 
resignation  none." 

— Thomas  Jefferson. 

Veo  was  buried  under  the  fallen  tree,  as  she  had 
requested.  It  was  a  shock  to  the  general  notions  of 
the  community  to  have  an  interment  anywhere  but 
in  the  burial  ground,  but  with  Veo  it  seemed  different. 
It  was  a  sad  funeral  and  nearly  all  the  guests  who  were 
at  the  wedding  were  present. 

To  Elbert  life  now  seemed  blank  and  purposeless, 
but  once  again  hearing  his  babe's  plaintive  cry  he 
realized  his  duty.  He  left  soon  after  for  Washington 
to  take  his  seat  in  Congress,  and  yet  how  empty  the 
honor!  In  the  first  breath  of  political  success  he  was 
as  one  dead,  but  in  his  grief  he  found  an  affection  he 
had  almost  forgotten.  When  alone  at  night  he  would 
sit  for  hours  and  look  at  Veo's  picture,  then  the  baby's 
face  smiled  upon  him.  He  felt  the  need  of  solace  and 
comfort,  but  plunged  into  his  work  to  forget  his  sor 
row.  Just  before  the  new  administration  was  to  be 
inaugurated,  Bart  Waldie  had  been  given  his  coveted 
appointment  in  Chicago.  His  "friends"  said,  "Give  it 
to  him.  The  other  fellows  will  soon  drop  the  axe  on 
him,  and  that  is  the  best  way  to  pay  our  debts  and  dis- 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  165 

pose  of  him."  A  cold-blooded  purpose,  but  im 
mensely  practical  and  popular  in  modern  political 
ethics. 

When  the  new  administration  had  assumed  control 
of  affairs,  Elbert  made  a  special  effort  to  prevent  Bart 
from  being  removed,  and  his  old  political  friends  were 
shocked. 

"Don't  you  know  that  he  is  one  of  the  most  pernic 
iously  active  partisans  on  the  list?"  argued  one  to  El 
bert. 

"That  may  be,  but  if  he  does  his  duty  and  makes  a 
good  officer,  let  him  stay,"  replied  Elbert. 

"Yes,  but  if  that  rule  is  adopted  what  is  there  go 
ing  to  be  left  for  us?"  persistently  argued  one  of  his 
companions. 

"That  is  all  right,  Tim,  but  I'll  tell  you  why  I'm  so 
interested,"  and  he  told  him  of  his  past  relations  with 
Bart. 

"Now,  if  it  requires  my  share  of  appointments  I'm 
going  to  give  it  up  to  keep  Bart  there/'  said  Elbert 
decisively. 

The  decision  of  Elbert  raised  a  furore  among  the 
multitude  of  office-seekers  who  had  already  swooped 
down  upon  Washington.  He  was  charged  with  trying 
to  create  an  office  brokerage  establishment,  and  be 
ing  only  a  half-hearted  convert  to  the  new  party — a 
spy  whose  mission  was  to  keep  in  old  appointees  as 
far  as  possible.  But  he  was  firm  and  finally  suc 
ceeded  in  obtaining  a  promise  that  Bart  should  serve 
out  his  term. 

Bart  could  never  quite  bring  himself  to  acknowledge 


166  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

the  favor  from  Elbert.  It  was  not  long  after  that,  Ag 
nes  was  called  to  Chicago  by  Bart's  serious  illness. 
She  left  at  once  with  Alary  Jane  and  nursed  him  back 
to  health.  But  he  still  refused  to  acknowledge  El- 
bert's  kindness  and  Agnes  wrote  to  Elbert  to  come  at 
once,  hoping  to  effect  a  reconciliation. 

"Agnes,  you  know  Elbert  saved  me  my  appoint 
ment?  Well,  if  it  were  not  for  you  I  would  throw  it 
back  in  his  teeth  at  once.  I  want  nothing  except  from 
my  friends." 

Elbert  and  Jasper  arrived  at  the  house  a  few  days 
later  and  found  Agnes  and  Bart  alone. 

"How  are  you,  Bart?"  said  Elbert,  as  he  entered,  ex 
tending  his  hand. 

Bart  was  astonished  at  first,  and  then  his  eyes  seemed 
to  flash  fire. 

"I  don't  know  you,  sir.  Oh,  I  remember.  You  are 
that  goody-goody  representative  who  was  elected  last 
fall;  expect  to  reform  things,  don't  you?  Make  men 
turn  against  their  friends?  Set  up  'principle'  and  all  that 
sort  of  thing?  Introduce  the  millennium  into  Washing 
ton?  Change  human  nature?  Change  human  feel 
ings?" 

"That  will  do,  Bart,"  responded  Elbert  calmly.  "We 
haven't  met  for  two  years — it  may  be  some  time  be 
fore  we  meet  again — " 

"Why  did  you  force  yourself  here?"  broke  in  Bart 
sharply. 

"To  hand  you  this  letter  from  Washington,  assuring 
me  that  as  you  are  a  faithful  officer,  though  on  the  op 
posite  side  in  politics,  you  will  not  be  disturbed." 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  167 

"At  your  request?"  sneered  Bart. 

"At  my  request." 

"Never — nothing  from  you,  sir.  Nothing  from  one 
who  sold  me  out.  I  can  never  forget  your  perfidy — 
you're  a  traitor  and- 

"Bart!"  cried  Agnes  and  Mary  Jane  in  chorus. 

"Now,  if  you  women  would  keep  yourselves  entirely 
out  of  my  affairs,  it  would  be  better  for  all  concerned." 

"Bart,  remember.  You  are  older  than  Elbert,"  plead 
ed  Jasper.  "He  has  done  you  a  good  turn;  take  his 
hand—" 

"Jasper,  I  appreciate  your  good  intentions.  Don't 
interfere.  I  may  be  needy,  but  nothing  can  ever  bridge 
over  the  chasm  between  us.  Keep  the  marshalship  be 
cause  he  asked  it?  I  think  not,"  and  Bart  started  to 

go- 

"You  should  be  grateful  for  his  kindness  to  you, 
Bart,  for  our  sakes." 

"Agnes!"  broke  in  Bart. 

"I'm  proud  of  him  as  my  old  pupil,"  she  continued. 
"He  has  no  resentment  towards  you;  on  the  contrary 
that  letter  shows  it.  We  should  both  be  thankful." 

"Stop!"  he  thundered,  starting  to  go. 

"No ;  as  your  wife  I  shall  say  what  I  please.  I  have 
before  me  daily,  hourly,  the  direful,  dismal  effects  of 
a  political  career.  Thank  heaven,  just  such  a  one  as 
Elbert  wishes  to  avoid.  You  will  know  what  I  mean." 

"Would  you  nurse  a  viper?"  hissed  Bart. 

"Bart,  you  are  beside  yourself,"  said  Agnes,  calmly. 
"We  will  not  pursue  the  subject  further.  I  have  come 
home  because  yo"».  needed  me.  You  are  not  the  man 


168  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

you  were  three  years  ago.  Dear  Bart,  let  your  nobler 
impulses  rule.  I  am  willing  to  forgive  the  past — to 
bury  the  dead.  You  are  not  so  lost  to  a  sense  of  hon 
or,  of  your  former  noble  self,  as  to  refuse  that  letter, 
that  kindness?  Think!  Night  after  night  you  have 
left  me  for  heaven  knows  what — the  dregs  of  politics. 
Days  pass  with  scarcely  a  word  from  you.  This  and 
much  more  I  am  willing  to  forgive,  because  you  need 
me.  Elbert  has  done  you  no  wrong." 

"While  I  have  breath  I  am  master  of  this  house,"  re 
torted  Bart,  pacing  to  and  fro  in  the  room  like  a  mad 
man. 

"Bart,  for  my  sake,"  pleaded  Agnes,  "for  love  of  me 
take  his  hand.  For  Veo's  sake;  for  Wesley's  sake; 
for  your  mother's  sake!" 

This  reference  to  his  mother  seemed  to  smite  the 
rock.  Bart's  voice  quivered,  and  Elbert  went  forward 
and  Bart  fell  upon  his  shoulder  and  cried  like  a  child. 

"The  day  of  Pentecost  has  come,"  shouted  Mary 
Jane.  "It  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive.  Land 
o'  Goshen,  here  I  have  left  them  eggs  out  to  the  front 
porch  all  this  time.  Merciful  Providence,  nobody 
took  'em,"  and  she  rushed  out  after  them. 

"Bart,  you've  showed  your  sense.  Thrown  the  old 
boots  away  and  begun  on  a  new  last,"  said  Jasper,  tak 
ing  his  hand. 

"And  by  the  Eternal,  it  shall  last,  Uncle,"  said  Bart 
with  tears  still  in  his  eyes. 

"Elbert,"  said  Jasper,  "let's  leave  the  young  people 
together.  Let's  go  out  in  the  barn — Gee!  I  thought 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  169 

I  was  to  home — let's  go  out  on  the  porch  and  swap 
lies.  If  I  had  a  copy  of  Plutarch — " 

"Agnes,  I  have  much  to  say  to  you,"  said  Bart  to 
Agnes  when  they  were  alone,  "Jasper  has  told  me  all." 

"Not  now,  Bart,  some  other  time.  Do  you  not  see 
I  forgive  you?  Only  be  a  man  and  give  up  this  ac 
cursed  anxiety,  these  disreputable  associates.  Be  your 
self,  and  I  will  always  be  your  faithful,  loving  wife." 
For  the  first  time  in  years  he  kissed  her  as  a  lover  in 
response. 

''I  do  not  deserve  to  be  so  blessed,  Agnes.  For  you 
I  would  do  anything;  I  will  resign,  withdraw  from  ac 
tive  politics,  attend  to  business.  Make  a  home  in  the 
country,  go  to  Europe;  anything  you  like  so  long  as 
you  love  me." 

"Once  more  my  noble  husband!"  said  Agnes  as  they 
walked  out  arm  in  arm  like  real  lovers.  The  storm  was 
over;  but  they  had  scarcely  left  the  room  when  Mrs. 
Daniels  and  Elbert  came  in.  She  was  more  dashing 
and  more  beautiful  than  ever. 

"So  glad  to  find  you  in  town,"  she  said  to  Elbert. 
"You  got  my  last  letter?  And  the  wire  congratulating 
you?  Mrs.  Waldie  is  still  in  Poplarville,  I  presume?" 

"No,  she  is  at  home." 

"Oh,  then  I  should  have  asked  for  her.  Now  tell 
me  your  plans.  Will  you  live  at  Willard's  or  will  you 
take  rooms?  It  is  so  much  nicer  to  take  rooms." 

"You  know  my  loss.  Perhaps  the  hotel  would  be 
better." 

"Poor,  dear  Veo;   yes,  I  know.     Oh,  rooms  are  so 


170  BOSS   BART,   POLITICIAN. 

much  more  independent.  Your  friends  may  come  and 
go  when  they  please." 

"I  have  no  friends  in  Washington,  except  business 
friends." 

"You  naughty  man;  where  do  I  come  in?" 

"You,  of  course;  but  I  meant  friends  whom  I  could 
ask  to  my  rooms." 

"And  why  could  you  not  ask  me?  Oh,  we  are  quite 
unconventional  in  Washington.  We  do  and  think  as 
we  please;  we  do  not  mind  public  opinion.  Now  you 
must  not  forget  your  patronage.  Many  people  will 
want  to  see  you  at  your  rooms.  You  silly  boy,  I  must 
take  you  in  hand.  Senator  Forthwith  told  me  of  that 
last  foolish  notion  of  yours.  Do  you  know  I  had  hard 
work  to  save  you  politically  in  this  Waldie  matter? 
What  could  possess  you  to  demand  his  retention? 
You've  weakened  yourself." 

"He  is  a  good  officer  and  my  friend,  and  one  to 
whom  I  owe  much." 

"You  are  guileless.  Now  you  must  do  nothing  with 
out  consulting  me.  You  must  ask  for  a  reconsidera 
tion.  Throw  Waldie  over  and  make  yourself  secure 
with  your  party  workers.  I  will  show  you  how." 

"But,  Mrs.  Daniels — 

"No;  no  buts.  It  must  be  done.  I  came  on  to  see 
about  this  matter.  Of  course  Waldie  expects  to  go 
out  with  the  change  of  administration.  All  the  judges 
say  he  never  was  strong  in  the  marshalship.  And 
there's  Mrs.  Waldie,  with  her  quiet,  refined  ways,  her 
dainty  personality;  how  could  she  marry  such  an  un 
educated  cad  as  he?" 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  171 

"Mrs.  Daniels,  you  must  stop;  I  will  not  listen  to- 
such  remarks.  Mr.  Waldie  is  not  a  cad;  far  from  it. 
I  have  told  you  he  is  my  friend.  As  a  man  he  is  the 
product  of  the  self-reliant  middle  west,  with  all  of  the 
Chicago  business  push  and  political  stickativity." 

"There,  don't  be  angry  with  me;  but  in  politics,  you 
know,  we  have  no  friends — outside  of  politics,  yes." 

"Friendship  is  one  of  the  noblest  ties  that  binds 
two  individuals." 

"But  there  are  more  sacred  ties,  I  have  heard  you 
say  before,"  she  said  archly  and  knowingly. 

"Yes,  I  know  the  meaning  of  love.  I  look  up  con 
stantly,  expecting  to  see  Veo.  Her  life  was  a  sweet 
benison,  a  daily  comfort.  Her  cheery  voice  is  ever  in 
my  ears,  ever  present.  I  shall  be  very,  very  lonely." 

"You  need  not  be,  Elbert.  You  and  I  are  severely 
candid  with  each  other  on  all  subjects  but  one — the 
supreme  passion.  Ours  is  a  true  affinity.  We  both  feel 
it.  Let  us  put  aside  conventional  and  Puritanic  de 
crees  and  live  the  life  of  real  independence." 

"Mrs.  Daniels,  I  cannot  listen  to  such  sentiments — 
my  Veo — " 

"Where  love  rules,  the  world  can  be  defied.  My 
life  in  Washington  has  taught  me  the  hypocrisy  of  the 
day.  Why  may  not  I  speak  my  honest  convictions? 
I  am  a  lobbyist;  I  admit  it;  but  even  a  lobbyist  may 
love.  And  you  have  such  a  bright  future;  why  half 
the  world  is  miserable  because  of  uncongenial  sur 
roundings.  May  not  I  help  you?" 

"Mrs.  Daniels,  my  eyes  are  entirely  open.    You  in- 


172  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

suit  the  memory  of  my  wife.  Please  change  the  con 
versation.  I  will  call  Mrs.  Waldie — I — if — " 

"Be  careful,  Elbert,  in  your  defiance.  You  know 
already  what  a  woman's  love  is — do  not  crush  mine. 
And  a  woman's  scorn  is  hell  let  loose.  Oh,  Elbert, 
think;  I  may  be  lonely,  too." 

"Mrs.  Daniels,  any  man  would  be  blind  who  did  not 
admire  you.  Admiration  is  the  result  of  friendship. 
Love  is  another  matter.  I  am  grateful  to  you  for  your 
kindness.  I  appreciate  your  candor,  but  love  and  mar 
riage  between  us — how  can  you  suggest  it — now,  par 
ticularly?" 

"We  will  drop  the  subject  for  the  present.  But,  oh, 
Elbert;  when  a  woman  loves,  she — we  are  disturbed; 
let  us  go  into  the  parlor." 

They  left  and  Mrs.  Daniels  was  deeply  in  earnest. 
The  year  was  divisible  by  four. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  17* 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

"Till  some  chance  thrill  the  loosened  ruin  launches 
In  unwarned  havoc  on  roofs  below." 

— James  Russell  LowelL 

Bart's  determination  to  conclude  his  political  career 
seemed  to  bring  a  cheerful  air  to  his  home,  and  among 
all  the  guests.  Agnes  was  supremely  joyful  over  her 
victory.  It  seemed  now  as  if  married  happiness  had 
only  begun.  As  they  were  returning  to  the  library 
they  heard  the  maid  arguing  with  some  one. 

"You  cannot  come  in  here;  he  is  engaged." 

At  the  door  was  Mother  Madigan,  saying,  "Surely 
he'll  not  refuse  to  see  one  of  his  old  pals,"  as  she  en 
tered.  "Tell  him  that  I- 

"Well,  my  good  woman,  who  are  you?"  said  Bart. 

"Oh,  you've  forgotten  Mother  Madigan,  Jimmy's 
mother?  Many's  the  turn  I've  done  him,  mum,"  said 
the  woman  to  Agnes.  "Done  it  on  the  sly,  when  the 
wires  were  crossed  or  there  was  a  bit  of  shindig  to 
straighten  out." 

"That  will  do;  what  do  you  want?"  asked  Bart 
sharply. 

"Jimmy's  locked  up — drunk  last  night.  Jimmy,  my 
son,  ma'am,  is  the  boss'  best  worker  in  our  ward.  Heav 
en  bless  the  boy,  and  betune  ye's  and  all  harm,  he's  got 
the  Boss  more  votes  than  all  the  sports  a  runnin'." 


174  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

'Then  it's  money  you  want?  You  had  better  not 
wait,  Agnes,"  said  Bart,  and  Agnes  left  the  room. 

"As  usual  the  law  puts  it,  yer  honor,"  continued  Mrs. 
Madigan.  "I  am  deprived  of  me  daily  support.  There's 
not  a  happorth  in  sight,  nor  a  crumb,  and  the  devil 
knows  how  many  days  Jimmy'll  get.  I  could  not  find 
you  at  the  old  place;  so  the  officer  sent  me  here." 

Bart  gave  her  some  money  and  she  stopped  for 
breath:  "May  all  the  saints— 

"Now  go;  and  never  come  here  again,"  said  Bart, 
turning  to  his  desk. 

As  Mrs.  Madigan  started  to  the  door  she  met  Paulina 
coming  in. 

"Yes,  yer  honor,  and  may  ye  live  to  be  President," 
continued  Mrs.  Madigan.  "Oh!  worra,  worra,  sorra 
the  day  that  thief  of  a  gypsy  crossed  yer  path;  what 
devilment  is  she  up  to  now  anyhow?"  she  said,  as  she 
disappeared  behind  the  curtains,  following  the  maid 
to  the  door. 

"Ah,  the  Irish  fraulein.  It  is  not  good.  It  is  the 
same  with  man — women,  women,  always  women,  eh? 
Heir  Waldie?" 

"By  all  the  curses!  Paulina  go,  before  I  lose  my 
temper.  You  have  brought  sorrow  enough  upon  me 
and  my  house.  You  and  I  now,  in  the  one  room,  are 
not  safe,"  he  said  rather  excitedly. 

"Good!  Good!"  said  Paulina,  gleefully,  "I  love  the 
tiger;  look!  look!  ah!" 

"Not  content  with  bleeding  me  time  and  time  again 
for  sums  in  no  way  due  you,  you  must  frighten  my 
wife — oh,  you  she-devil,  you  scum  of  the  earth,  you — " 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  175 

"Ha,  ha!  Continue.  It  is  glorious.  My  son-in-law! 
Come,  why  not  strike  immediate;  it  is  good!  See  this 
marriage  certificate?" 

"The  paper  I  paid  you  for  gone!  And  you  are  the 
only  one  who  could  have  taken  it,  for  you  saw  me  put 
it  there  when  I  paid  you.  This  paper  you  must  show 
my  wife,  you  fiend;  you  should  be  burned  in  oil." 

"No;  for  the  moment  I  am  a  man,  a  devil;  what  you 
will;  strike!  I  wish  it." 

"For  three  years,  yes  four,  I  have  tried  to  blot  out 
the  past,  to  repair  the  wrong,  to  live  a  different  life, 
to—" 

"Words,  words,  mere  words;  if  the  truth,  if  not  mar 
ried  to  Naomi,  why  not  marry  her?" 

"Merciful  God!    Woman,  are  you  crazy?" 

"No,  Herr  Waldie  is  tired  of  his  plaything — she  who 
lives  on  his  every  word,  whose  child  bears  his  face,  his 
smile,  his  eye,  aye  his  frown.  My  God !  One  rule  for 
the  women,  and  the  flexible,  pliable  one  for  the  man, 
his  own  pleasure.  The  eternal  God  say  the  Herr  Wal 
die  shall  be  crushed  by  this  little  hand." 

"Then  know,  Paulina,  that  I  have  told  my  wife  all; 
that  from  this  day  I  shall  be  a  new  man,  with  new  as 
sociates,  new  hopes,  new  ambitions.  Your  form  must 
never  darken  these  doors  again.  Now  go ;  I  have  paid 
you  well;  never  trouble  me  again.  I  will  take  care  of 
Naomi  and  the  child — but  you,  never,  never,"  he  said, 
leaving  her  abruptly. 

"The  gentle  fraulein  have  forgiven!"  continued  Paul 
ina  to  herself.  "Urn,  the  sting  was  not  deep  enough. 
Poor,  silly  fool.  And  for  a  man!  Ah!  woman,  woman, 


176  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

you  the  clinging  vine;  man  the  trunk  with  thorns,  and 
when  he  tear  you  away  you  still  reach  up  to  him, 
still  cling,  bleeding,  oh,  so  fast,  till  all  your  life  is  gone. 
But  I — No,  I  am  not  that  weak,  silly  fool.  It  is  com 
plete.  Bart  Waldie  has  made  it  final.  He  shall  not 
live  now.  I  care  not  for  God  or  devils — it  is  all  one; 
all  one.  Naomi,  my  child!  I  have  lived  for  Nature's 
vengeance.  It  is  complete;  one  touch,  one  sip,  and  he. 
is  dead.  Hush!  No,  no  one  see  me.  Herr  Waldie  I 
go,  and  when  I  see  you  in  the  coffin  I  spit  on  you.  I 
curse  you,  the  gypsy's  oath,  Paulina's  curse." 

With  a  hasty  glance  about  she  had  taken  a  glass 
from  the  table,  filled  it  with  water  from  the  pitcher 
and  put  in  liquid  from  a  small  vial  in  her  bosom ;  then 
putting  the  glass  near  the  papers  on  the  desk,  she  was 
just  about  to  fill  the  glass  when  Jasper  entered,  deeply 
absorbed  in  a  book.  His  attention  was  arrested  by  the 
action  of  Paulina,  and  he  stood  aside  till  Paulina  left 
the  room;  then  took  the  glass,  sniffed  it,  threw  the 
water  out,  called  to  Susan,  "Susan,  wash  that  glass  in 
boiling  water,"  and  then  he  calmly  went  on  reading  his 
book. 

Bart  returned  shortly  after  to  see  if  Paulina  had 
gone,  and  he  had  now  fallen  into  a  habit  of  talking  to 
himself,  as  old  men  do  in  their  dotage  or  as  those  in 
deep  trouble. 

"For  a  week  past  I  have  had  shooting  pains  about 
the  heart,  and  this  last  interview  with  Paulina  has  un 
nerved  me.  I  am  weak,  faint,  where  is  that  glass?  Su 
san;  where  is  my  glass?" 


BOSS   BART,   POLITICIAN.  177 

Susan  came  in  with  the  glass.  "Mr.  Juniper  told  me 
to  wash  it  out  with  boiling  water.  I'll  bring  it." 

"With  boiling  water?  Oh,  some  fancy  of  his  about 
drinking  our  city  water.  Thank  you,  Susan,  you  may 
go.  If  my  life  were  written — "  continued  Bart,  "what 
a  warning  it  would  hold  to  young  men ;  begun  wrong 
ly,  ending  disastrously;  for  I  feel  my  end  is  coming 
and  coming  quickly.  What  have  I  to  leave  Agnes  but 
a  shattered  life,  a  dishonored  name,  a  wasted  fortune? 
That  letter  must  be  written  at  once.  History  repeats 
itself.  There  is  the  rise,  the  floating  on  the  wave  of 
success,  the  downfall — Warwick,  Wolsey,  Macbeth, 
Boss  Tweed — the  whole  lot  of  them.  I  don't  feel  well 
enough  to  go  down  town  to-day.  McCutcheon  must 
see  the  boys  for  me." 

He  went  to  the  telephone  and  told  him  to  come  to 
the  house,  as  he  was  going  to  quit  politics;  and  it  did 
not  take  long  for  the  news  to  spread. 

"What  is  it  to  be  a  successful  politician — the  futile 
following  of  the  will  o'  the  wisp,"  continued  Bart  to 
himself;  "modern  politics  is  not  a  business,  a  trade,  a 
profession — it  is  the  bloody  work  of  a  parasite,  a  re 
lentless  leech — a  cruel  dragon."  Then  he  began  writ 
ing  a  letter,  continuing  his  talking.  "Clean  politics — 
as  well  call  sewers  murmuring  mountain  brooks. 
There,  Agnes,  you  will  know  the  one  shut-up  secret 
of  my  life,  the  one  skeleton  in  my  house — to  be  opened 
when  you  may  marry  again,  when  I  am  dead!  Agnes, 
my  wife,  my  love,"  he  said,  kissing  his  wife  when  she 
came  toward  him. 

"Lunch  is  ready,  dear;  what  are  you  writing?" 


178  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"No  matter  now.  I  do  not  feel  well  enough  for 
lunch.  Excuse  me  to  everybody." 

"I  will  send  you  a  cup  of  tea." 

"No;  I  expect  McCutchcon  here  in  a  few  minutes.  I 
will  come  later." 

"Come  as  soon  as  you  can,"  said  Agnes,  going. 

A  few  minutes  later  McCutcheon  and  Schledgmilch 
were  in  the  room. 

"Boss,  how  you  vas?  I  was  mit  Jimmy  when  you 
rung  him  up;  so  I  come  along,"  said  the  German,  with 
his  familiar  asthmatic  wheeze. 

"What's  the  muss,  old  man?  You're  white  about  the 
gills.  Who's  given  you  the  cold  shake?"  inquired  Mc 
Cutcheon. 

"The  papers  says  you'll  be  detained  in  office.  The 
old  cocks  of  the  ward  have  ruffled  feathers.  There  is 
too  much  limburger  in  the  air.  Now,  a  little  subscrip 
tion  from  the  Boss,"  said  Schledgmilch,  with  his  fa 
miliar  old  wink. 

With  eyes  fixed  on  the  floor  and  in  vacancy,  as  if  not 
listening  to  these  men,  Bart  announced:  "Gentlemen, 
I  shall  withdraw  from  active  politics  at  the  close  of  my 
term — perhaps  immediately,"  he  concluded,  starting  up 
suddenly. 

"What?"  was  the  exclamation  from  both  at  once. 

""I  am  tired  of  continually  striving  after  something 
thoroughly  unsatisfactory  when  you  get  it,"  continued 
Bart. 

"Well,  not  much  you  don't,  until  we've  divided  the 
swag.  There's  two  offices  for  me;  wine,  carriages  and 
sundries  for  the  boys." 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  179 

"Four  offices  for  me ;  the  dry  goods  account  for  my 
frau;  Madame  Porteo  and  her  flock." 

"And  a  few  decks  of  workers  dead  to  rights,  when  I 
gets  the  spots,"  rejoined  McCutcheon. 

"Yah!  You  don't  walk  out  and  leave  us  mit  the 
empty  bag." 

"Not  much  you  don't.  You're  on  the  pious  lay  to 
day." 

"Where  is  the  man  who  preaches,  get  money,  get  it 
honestly  if  you  can;  if  you  can't  why  get  it,  eh?  Don't 
it?"  chuckled  Schledgmilch. 

"Gentlemen,  leave  my  house  at  once,"  broke  in  Bart; 
"never  speak  to  me  again;  it  is  you  and  such  as  you 
who  have  ruined  me,  wrecked  me  and  my  life." 

"Oh,  yes;  a  good  wreck  on  a  $10,000  salary.  Come, 
divy  up,  old  man;  shell  out,"  insisted  McCutcheon  with 
a  greedy  grin 

"How  much?"  inquired  Bart  indifferently. 

"Four  thousand  apiece." 

"That's  too  much." 

"Ah,  now  with  that  story  of  Naomi  and  the  child," 
threatened  Schledgmilch. 

"Nice  in  cold  print,  eh,  Gottlieb?"  said  McCutcheon, 
punching  his  pal  in  the  rib. 

"Yah,  and  the  crooked  work  at  Springfield  last  win 
ter." 

"Four  blank  checks  to  bearer,"  insinuated  McCutch 
eon. 

"Not  to-day;  I  will  do  what  is  right;  my  word  is 
good,  my  record  is  clear." 


180  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"Oh,  yes,  where  did  your  swell  home  come  from?" 

"Mac,  do  you  know  to  whom  you  are  talking?" 

"Yes;  Bart  Waldie  mit  the  clean  record;  down  on 
Clark  street.  Yah!"  rejoined  the  German. 

"Gentlemen,  you  can  neither  frighten  me  nor  move 
me.  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  face  the  issue.  Tell 
what  you  please." 

"Well,  we  won't  quit  cold.  You  keep  your  promise 
or  we  will  make  you — you  treacherous  hound,"  said 
McCutcheon,  suddenly  coming  toward  him  with  a 
threatening  look. 

"Yes,  the  old  man  is  a  dead  dog  if  he  barks  mit  this 
shicken." 

"I  have  always  stuck  by  my  friends,  and  you  are 
both  ungrateful  curs,  whom  I  have  paid,  overpaid, 
many  times  over;  now  I  propose  to  be  my  own  master, 
devote  my  time  to  my  home  and  wife." 

"We  thought  Naomi — "  sneered  McCutcheon. 

This  was  too  much.  Bart  rushed,  staggering  toward 
them. 

"Move  quick  or  by  God !  You  arc  both  infernal  cow 
ards,  born  of  the  slums,  the  dregs  of  earth,  jail-birds, 
thieves,  parasites — move  quick — quick,  I  say —  Oh  Ag 
nes!  My  head!  My  head!  I — I— 

With  a  deathly  moan  Bart  fell  into  the  chair.  Both 
eyes  were  fixed  in  the  ghastly  stare  of  death.  The  ex 
citement  had  resulted  in  a  fatal  stroke  of  apoplexy. 

Schledgmilch,  with  pistol  drawn,  and  McCutcheon, 
with  knife  in  his  hand,  realized  the  horrible  truth. 

Bart  Waldie's  last  summons  had  come. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  181 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

"Even  children  followed  with  endearing  wile." 

—Goldsmith. 

"Where  humble  happiness  endeared  each  scene." 

—Goldsmith. 

When  Agnes  returned  to  Poplarville,  she  found  that 
during  her  absence  her  enemies  had  been  busy.  Friend 
ships  often  do  not  seem  to  wear  well  unless  the  prin 
cipals  are  very  much  en  evidence.  The  school  board 
had  employed  a  substitute,  and  had  concluded  in  the 
meantime  to  dispense  with  her  services,  especially  since 
it  was  said  that  she  was  the  "divorced  wife  of  a  Chicago 
boss  politician."  It  was  felt  that  "her  influence  on  the 
children  might  not  be  the  best."  .  This  decision  raised 
a  tumult  among  the  pupils,  but  the  elders  with  wise 
looks  declared  they  knew  best,  and  when  Agnes  re 
turned  she  found  she  had  been  dismissed.  It  was  a  hard 
blow,  but  her  life  had  been  so  thoroughly  tempered 
to  misfortune  that,  although  her  hair  was  turning  gray, 
she  still  maintained  that  sweet  and  determined  spirit. 

The  new  order  of  things  had  been  precipitated  in  the 
village  school.  When  Agnes  first  went  to  Poplarville, 
a  young  girl  of  eighteen,  she  inaugurated  the  break 
ing  loose  from  the  old  district  school  idea,  but  that 
was  some  years  ago.  Now  the  new  era  had  been  pret 
ty  firmly  established.  The  purpose  of  developing  orig 
inal,  self-reliant  personalities  was  replaced  by  object 


182  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

lessons — a  made-easy  method  of  instruction.  The 
teacher  was  given  so  many  pupils  to  grind  out  in  a 
proper  manner.  Pretty  little  forms  were  provided  to 
facilitate  a  well-organized  thinking  machine.  Disci 
pline  and  Delsarte  were  two  ideals  of  perfection.  Cram, 
stuff  and  specialize  the  thinking  machines  was  the  or 
der  of  the  day,  and  Agnes,  not  having  been  altogether 
in  touch  with  the  last  "institute,"  she  was  declared  be 
hind  the  times. 

The  pupils  would  have  openly  rebelled  and  gone  out 
on  a  strike  had  she  not  been  there  to  pacify  them. 
They  loved  her,  and  when  she  talked  to  them  they  de 
sisted. 

She  was  then  staying  with  Elbert's  mother,  who  was 
very  indignant  over  the  matter,  and  wrote  Elbert  in 
Washington  all  about  it.  Agnes  was  about  to  leave 
Poplarville  and  look  elsewhere  for  a  school  to  earn 
a  livelihood,  when  a  telegram  was  received. 

"Have  Mrs.  Waldie  remain.  Letter  to  follow.  El 
bert." 

A  few  days  later  Elbert  himself  arrived  from  Wash 
ington.  Life  in  the  capital  city  had  been  wearisome 
to  him,  and  he  was  always  anxious  for  a  pretext  to 
come  home  and  see  baby  Veo.  After  they  had  talked 
over  Bart's  sad  death,  he  broke  in: 

"Now,  I  have  a  plan,"  said  Elbert.  "Veo  is  almost 
three  years  old,  and  she  can  only  have  one  teacher 
according  to  my  wish — and  that  is  the  one  who  did  so 
much  for  her  father." 

"But,  Elbert,  I  cannot  be  a  pensioner,"  objected 
Agnes. 


BGS3    BART,    POLITICIAN.  183 

"Very  true,  Mrs.  Proud  Lady,  but  now  let  me  finish. 
Kindergartens  are  a  new  thing  in  this  section;  use  a 
portion  of  mother's  house  and  inaugurate  the  idea, 
\\ith  little  Veo  as  your  first  pupil." 

"A  splendid  plan,  Elbert,"  said  his  mother  enthusias 
tically. 

"But  teaching  little  children  is  all  new  to  me,"  she 
remonstrated. 

"Well,  human  beings  are  all  built  on  the  same  plan," 
said  Elbert,  as  if  finally  settling  the  question. 

Elbert  went  even  farther  with  his  advice.  Being  a 
keen  observer,  he  realized  the  existing  influences  which 
politeness  often  forbids  mentioning  even  in  a  whisper. 
Active  church  work  he  believed  had  its  commercial 
value.  A  social  position  is  rarely  attained  without 
growth,  and  the  person  who  sits  modestly  in  a  dark 
corner,  waiting  to  be  discovered  is  very  liable  to  be 
overlooked.  He  believed  in  energy  in  one's  own  be 
half,  and  urged  Agnes  to  throw  off  her  inclination  to 
exclusiveness. 

"You  owe  your  talents  to  society,  and  besides — be 
sides — it's  business,"  said  Elbert. 

"But  it  is  inconsistent  that  all  my  •  talents  should 
bloom  forth  so  suddenly  when  my  work  depends  upon 
public  favor." 

"No  matter.  These  social  influences  are  simply  ir 
resistible  in  religious,  commercial,  political  or  pro 
fessional  careers." 

Elbert's  advice  prevailed,  and  the  tact  of  Agnes  for 
organization  and  her  personal  attractions  came  into 
good  play.  She  organized  entertainments  to  be  pro- 


184  BOSS    BART,   POLITICIAN. 

duced  for  the  benefit  of  the  public  library,  and  this 
brought  her  in  close  touch  with  the  young  people  and 
the  musicians  of  the  community.  The  "Thursday  Clui)," 
which  she  later  organized,  included  a  large  membership 
of  mothers,  and  was  of  a  semi-literary  and  semi-social 
nature.  Her  little  talks  on  home  life  attracted  them  to 
her,  and  they  were  unconsciously  led  to  appreciate  her 
capabilities  as  a  kindergarten  instructor.  The  "Mite 
Societies"  always  looked  to  her  to  devise  some  new 
form  of  social  entertainment.  In  a  church  choir  she 
was  the  proverbial  peacemaker,  and  held  together  the 
soapbubble  elements  which  so  frequently  threatened 
collapse.  In  fact,  she  worked  incessantly  in  a  semi- 
public  way,  and  her  kindergarten  at  once  flourished  as 
one  of  the  indirect  results.  Her  devoted  attachment 
to  little  Veo  seemed  to  generate  an  affection  for  the 
other  little  ones,  and  as  she  watched  their  characters 
unfold  day  by  day  she  grew  to  love  them  and  her  work 
passionately.  While  naturally  she  had  many  jealous 
critics,  her  unassuming  modesty  and  transcendent 
worth  brought  her  a  supreme  social  triumph  in  Pop- 
larville.  She  had  calmly  ignored  the  petty  flings  of 
jealous  enemies,  and  her  sweet  manner  and  common 
sense  thoroughly  disarmed  her  assailants.  The  touch 
of  pathetic  history  and  her  personal  sorrow  seemed 
to  stimulate  the  general  esteem  in  which  she  was  now 
held. 

"Yes,  my  life  is  now  settled  among  these  little  flow 
ers,"  she  reflected,  as  the  children  crowded  about  her. 

"Mamma  Aggie  is  so  dood,"  said  little  Veo,  climbing 
into  her  lap  and  putting  a  rose  into  her  teacher's  hair. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  185 

And  the  tear  that  Agnes  quickly  brushed  away  was 
not  altogether  one  of  sorrow. 

Jasper,  who  happened  to  be  passing,  seeing  the  lit 
tle  ones  at  their  play,  thought  he  would  drop  in  for  a 
word  of  encouragement,  and  leave  a  mysterious  parcel 
for  Mary  Jane,  who  insisted  on  doing  the  "dustin'  and 
sweepin' "  for  Agnes. 

Little  Veo  rushed  to  Jasper  as  he  entered,  and  took 
off  his  spectacles  and  put  them  on,  with  mock  gravity. 

"Who  does  Veo  love  best?"  he  asked. 

"Mamma  Aggie." 

"Ah,  tut,  tut,  tut,  who  brings  you  candy  when  papa 
is  away?" 

"Uncle  Jasper." 

"Well,  who  do  you  love  best?" 

"Mamma  Aggie." 

"You  dear  little  soul ;  well  love  Mamma  Aggie  best ; 
we  all  do." 

"Yes,  there's  something  to  live  for  in  this  world  be 
sides  the  accumulation  of  wealth  and  making  ginger 
bread,"  broke  in  Mary  Jane,  vigorously  dusting  the 
room.  "Snakes,  how's  the  fire?" 

"Good,  ma'am,  I'm  learnin'  teacher,  I  am.  Mother's 
dead,  but  I  told  her  last  night  I'm  happy,"  said  the 
poor  girl,  coming  in  slowly  as  little  Veo  and  Agnes 
went  out. 

"Mary  Jane,  I  am  inclined  to  be  sad  and  poetic  to 
day,"  said  Jasper,  deliberately  crossing  his  legs. 

"Have  some  sense,  Jasper;  don't  let  the  wheel  of 
fortune  make  a  fool  of  you,"  said  Mary  Jane  in  a  con 
soling  way. 


186  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN 

"Yes,  I  know,  Mary  Jane,  but  we  are  getting  old.  I 
thought  that  when  we  died  it  would  be  a  good  idea  to 
have  our  bones  laid  away  together." 

"Jasper  Juniper,"  said  Mary  Jane,  with  a  flourish  of 
the  duster,  "do  you  suppose  I  want  any  post  mortem 
wedding?"  and  she  left  the  room  with  a  flounce. 

''Well,  I  must  be  movin'.  You  are  happy  here,  Ag 
nes,  I  hope,"  said  Jasper,  somewhat  frustrated,  as  if 
trying  to  relieve  the  awkward  situation,  when  Agnes 
met  him  at  the  door. 

"Oh,  yes,  very  happy.  Every  spot  about  the  dear 
old  place  awakens  such  tender  memories.  Mrs.  Ains- 
worth  was  a  mother  to  me  when  I  came  here  years  ago, 
an  orphan  girl.  The  trees  are  friends,  the  birds,  the 
flowers.  True,  faces  are  older,  but  memories  are 
young." 

"Yes,  I  think  we  owe  the  progress  of  our  village  to 
those  new  ideas  you  instilled  into  the  school  years  ago. 
But  I  must  be  going  over  the  river  before  noon,"  con 
tinued  Jasper.  "Agnes,  you  are  giving  them  children 
a  long  recess.  Veo,  come  here  and  give  your  Uncle 
Jasper  a  good  rousing  smack;  how  do  the  shoes  fit?" 

"All  yight,  all  yight,"  she  said,  giving  him  a  quizzical 
look. 

"You  little  midge;  you  are  a  second  edition  of  your 
mother.  Now  wink  that  eye  as  your  mother  did.  Ha! 
ha!  She's  Veo  all  over  again.  Here,  let  my  tails  alone; 
let  go  I  say;  that's  just  the  trick  her  mother  had,  Ag 
nes.  Let  go,  I  say,  you  witch,  there's  no  candy  there. 
Now  you  can't  catch  me,"  he  said,  as  he  ran  around  the 
kindergarten  table  and  stumbled  and  fell.  Veo  put 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  187 

her  arms  about  his  neck,  and  he  got  up  and  went  out 
with  the  child  on  his  shoulder,  calling  back,  "There's 
nothing  like  this  in  Plutarch's  Lives." 

When  the  bell  tapped  the  children  rushed  into  the 
house,  while  Mary  Jane,  seated  at  a  piano,  painfully 
picked  out  the  chords  of  a  simple  march  as  the  chil 
dren  formed  a  procession  to  take  their  seats. 

They  had  just  completed  the  opening  song  when 
Abner  and  "Snakes"  appeared  at  the  door  and  looked 
upon  the  happy  scene. 


188  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 

"Solid  men  of  Boston,  banish  long  potations; 
Solid  men  of  Boston,  make  no  long  orations." 

— American  Song,  Charles  Morris. 

Elbert's  Washington  life  had  been  fruitful  in  fur 
thering  his  cherished  ambitions.  His  first  year's  se 
clusion  had  now  become  rather  irksome,  only  broken 
by  his  frequent  visits  home  to  see  little  Veo.  On  one 
of  the  nights  of  soberest  reflection,  when  his  mind  and 
body  were  overcome  with  weariness,  he  became  restless 
and  felt  the  spirit  of  discontent  creeping  over  him.  He 
had  received  an  invitation  from  Mrs.  W.  Dannocks 
Daniels  to  a  dinner  on  the  following  evening  at  her 
home,  F  street  N.  W.  The  invitation  was  a  surprise, 
as  he  had  not  heard  of  her  directly  since  they  parted 
at  Bart's  home,  and  he  was  now  debating  as  to  whether 
or  not  he  should  accept  the  invitation.  Veo's  picture 
on  the  mantel  was  his  oracle,  and  the  bright  eyes 
seemed  to  speak  to  him,  saying,  "Go,  Elbert,  don't 
throw  away  your  life  in  sorrow ;  I  am  happy."  He  had 
begun  to  feel  keenly  the  social  ostracism  of  a  Congress 
man,  and  accepted  the  invitation.  He  found  a  delight 
ful  little  dinner  party  assembled  at  the  home  of  Mrs. 
Daniels,  and  among  them  a  number  of  acquaintances, 
relieving  him  from  the  awkwardness  of  feeling  an  ab 
solute  stranger.  Mrs.  Daniels  gave  him  a  warm  wel 
come. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  189 

"Why  have  you  so  buried  yourself?  I  arrived  home 
nearly  a  year  ago,  and  you  have  not  had  the  courtesy 
to  call,"  said  the  hostess  with  one  of  her  sweetest 
smiles. 

"I  must  apologize,  but  Mrs.  Daniels — " 

"Let  me  see;  it  is  now  Congressman  Ainsworth,  I 
believe." 

"Yes,  your  opposition  to  my  political  career  has 
borne  fruit." 

"Just  like  a  man,  stubborn  and  inconsistent.  But 
then,  I  congratulate  you,"  she  said,  extending  her  hand. 

"Perhaps  you  had  better  wait  until  I  have  won  in 
the  congressional  joust." 

"Well,  I  shall  not  think  less  of  you  as  a  congress 
man,  but  you  know  Washington  society  is  graded  in 
this  way.  Congressmen,  clerks  and  niggers." 

"Well,  I  have  moved  up  a  notch,  anyhow,"  he  said, 
laughing,  "and  I  may  yet  reach  your  social  level." 

"Mr.  Ainsworth,  how  cruel  of  you;  I  did  not  mean 
that  to  be  a  reflection  in  any  way." 

"I  know  it,  but  you  see  new  congressmen  are  espec 
ially  sensitive  as  to  their  social  standing." 

"Well  now,  what  is  your  first  plan?"  she  said,  as 
they  sat  down  together. 

"To  fix  matters  for  a  re-election.  My  lamented  prede 
cessor  has  borne  the  brunt  of  the  fight  in  the  distribu 
tion  of  post  offices  and  patronage,  and — 

"Perhaps  that  is  what  killed  the  poor  fellow,"  she 
suggested.  "Seriously,  the  distribution  of  offices  is 
the  great  wearing  and  tearing  problem  to  the  modern 
statesman." 


190  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"Well,  I  have  but  very  few  poor  relations,  and  few 
political  pals  to  care  for." 

"There  will  be  enough  of  them,  and  you  will  realize 
that  a  congressional  career  is  not  all  a  bed  of  roses, 
but  now,  since  you  are  a  congressman,  you  must  be 
my  gallant  knight  in  the  political  tournament." 

"Surely  you  are  not  seeking  political  office  or  politi 
cal  honors,  Mrs.  Daniels?" 

"Oh,  no;  but  then  I  love  excitement,  and  while  po 
litical  combat  is  just  now  at  a  low  ebb  I  am  not  going 
to  desert  you." 

"What  is  my  first  duty?" 

"To  make  a  hit,"  she  said,  decisively.  "Watch  your 
opportunity,  and  ignite  a  blaze  of  eloquence;  let  others 
drudge  for  the  committee  honors." 

The  advice  of  Mrs.  Daniels  he  considered  important, 
and  at  once  made  a  collection  of  all  his  Memorial  Day 
addresses  and  Fourth  of  July  speeches  which  had  blazed 
with  the  patriotic  metaphors  of  ardent  youth.  As  the 
son  of  a  Union  soldier,  he  had  written  them  with  a  de 
gree  of  sincerity,  and  cultivated  catch  phrases,  word 
painting  and  striking  alliterations  that  would  put  a 
newspaper  heading  to  shame. 

But  with  all  his  preparation  the  opportunity  did  not 
seem  in  a  hurry  to  present  itself.  He  felt  that  his 
congressional  career  was  decidedly  empty  of  new-born 
honors.  Towards  the  close  of  the  session,  while  sit 
ting  in  his  seat  reading  a  newspaper  carelessly  and  per 
plexed  as  to  how  to  adjust  the  requests  of  constituents 
for  seeds,  he  was  awakened  from  his  lethargy.  A  bill 
was  under  consideration  for  an  appropriation  to  beau- 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  191 

tify  a  soldiers'  cemetery.  A  Southern  member  had 
made  some  slighting  remarks  with  reference  to  Union 
soldiers  which  made  Elbert's  blood  tingle.  The  bill 
was  to  come  up  for  final  consideration  the  following 
day.  He  at  once  looked  up  the  chairman  in  charge  of 
the  bill,  and  requested  that  he  be  allowed  a  portion  of 
the  time  allotted  for  its  discussion,  and  it  was  granted 
rather  grudgingly.  That  night  he  plunged  into  the 
work  of  preparing  his  maiden  speech. 

The  next  day  the  time  was  yielded  to  him  and  he 
began. 

There  was  the  usual  buzz  and  indifference  that  greets 
all  except  the  few  noted  speakers  in  the  House,  and 
even  the  speaker's  gavel  and  admonitions  failed  to  es 
tablish  quiet.  "The  gentlemen  in  the  aisles  will  please 
be  seated,"  roared  the  speaker  again.  Elbert  raised 
his  voice  above  the  tumult.  There  are  some  voices 
that  always  attract  attention,  but  it  was  Elbert's  first 
speech,  and  it  took  some  time  for  even  his  rich,  reson 
ant  voice  to  penetrate  the  confusion.  Quiet  was  grad 
ually  restored  and  Elbert  had  hearing.  He  lost  him 
self  in  speaking,  and  his  lurid  word  pictures  at  first  oc 
casioned  an  inclination  to  smile  amongst  his  older  and 
more  incredulous  colleagues.  His  theme  was  one  in 
which  words  could  be  spoken  in  a  thrilling  and  dra 
matic  way,  and  were  even  of  more  importance  than 
ideas.  When  his  time  was  nearly  up,  the  members 
began  to  exclaim  from  all  parts  of  the  house,  "Go  on, 
go  on,"  and  the  speaker  announced  an  extension  of 
time.  Elbert  had  exhausted  his  set  speech,  and  it  was 
a  crisis  with  him,  as  he  was  at  a  loss  to  know  what  to 


192  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

say  further.  The  applause  in  the  galleries  had  been 
terrific,  as  if  they  were  anxious  to  do  honor  to  a  newly 
discovered  favorite.  Elbert  glanced  toward  a  private 
gallery,  and  saw  the  face  of  Mrs.  Daniels.  She  was  en 
thusiastically  applauding.  The  glance  was  an  inspira 
tion,  and  the  words  and  phrases  of  his  old  Memorial 
Day  address  came  flooding  back  to  his  memory,  and 
for  thirty  minutes  he  held  the  hearers  spell-bound.  The 
stenographers  rushed  about,  and  followed  him  with 
note  books  in  hand  as  he  paced  excitedly  up  and  down 
the  aisles. 

When  he  had  concluded  the  applause  was  tremen 
dous,  and  the  newspapers  heralded  Elbert  Ainsworth 
as  a  rising  political  star,  and  his  speech  was  a  refresh 
ing  departure  from  the  hum-drum  routine  of  the  House. 
A  large  number  of  his  colleagues  crowded  about  his 
seat  to  congratulate  him,  and  as  he  left  the  House  cham 
ber  he  met  Mrs.  Daniels  in  the  corridor. 

"Mr.  Ainsworth,  you  have  won  your  laurels  and  I 
am  proud  of  you,"  she  said,  pressing  his  hand. 

"I  am  so  glad  you  were  here,"  he  said,  candidly. 

"When  I  read  last  night  you  were  to  speak  I  felt  that 
the  opportunity  had  come,"  she  replied. 

He  accepted  her  invitation  to  a  dinner  party  feeling 
quite  contented  with  himself. 

While  Elbert  did  not  attend  any  state  military  balls 
or  mingle  in  the  big  S  set,  he  found  in  Mrs.  Daniels  a 
charming  friend.  With  a  man's  usual  egotism  he  imag 
ined  the  dinners  were  given  for  his  especial  pleasure 
by  her,  and  that  she  was  truly  his  affinity  in  the  dis 
cussion  of  literature,  art  and  music.  Amateur  cul- 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  193 

tured  parlor  musicians  after  all  are  the  ones  who  ap 
preciate  the  worth  of  music.  They  feel  a  deeper  soul  in 
harmony,  because  unable  to  render  the  work  of  the 
masters  with  professional  finish.  To  the  professional, 
music  is  in  part  a  task;  and  while  their  efforts  may 
please  and  reach  the  real  heights,  it  is  the  responsive 
sympathy  of  the  amateur  musicians  which  forms  the 
basis  of  their  artistic  success. 

"It  is  as  great  an  accomplishment  to  appreciatively 
listen  to  and  comprehend  music  as  to  render  it,"  said 
Mrs.  Daniels  one  evening  when  she  and  Elbert  were 
having  an  hour  of  music  together. 

He  had  been  regretting  the  fact  that  he  had  not 
studied  music  in  early  life,  and  she  had  just  finished 
singing  the  "Evening  Song,"  from  Tannhauser. 

"Why  is  it  I  never  enjoy  a  Wagner  opera?  II  Trova- 
tore  always  appeals  to  me  as  real  music,"  said  Elbert. 

"Because  you  have  a  false  idea  of  the  real  mission  of 
opera.  Wagner  revives  the  old  Greek  idea — opera  is 
the  musical  expression  of  dramatic  art.  It  is  not  a 
thread  of  sickly  concert  hall  ballads  and  vocal  em 
broidery  to  please  the  ear  palate;  that  is  not  dramatic 
expression.  No;  there  is  that  deeper,  subtler  language 
of  the  soul — too  sacred  for  hackneyed  barrel  organ 
arias — it  is  music  not  merely  to  please,  but  to  express 
and  uplift." 

"Yes,  music  is  the  language  of  heaven,"  continued 
Elbert.  "You  are  right;  words  cannot  express  the 
passions  and  feelings  that  music  makes  clear;  and, 
Mrs.  Daniels,  somehow  when  you  sing  the  words  and 


194  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

sentiment  sparkle  in  a  new  light  from  their  meaning  in 
ordinary  conversation." 

He  did  not  exactly  mean  it  as  an  expression  of  sen 
timent  toward  her,  but  it  sounded  very  much  that  way. 
Mrs.  Daniels  continued  singing  with  all  the  passionate 
earnestness  of  an  amateur  musician.  The  "Swan 
Song,"  from  Lohengrin,  seemed  to  enrapture  Elbert 
with  its  plaintive  and  almost  inexpressible  yearning. 
When  she  had  concluded,  he  said : 

"It  seems  as  if  some  composers  had  attuned  every 
note  and  syllable  to  a  responsive  chord  in  the  human 
heart." 

"Yes,"  she  replied,  "each  composer  seems  to  have 
a  particular  favorite  key  in  which  to  express  certain 
emotions." 

"But  the  emotion  of  love  seems  to  run  the  entire 
gamut,  doesn't  it?" 

She  answered  with  a  few  improvised  chords  on  the 
piano. 

They  said  good-bye  that  night  in  a  gentler  and  more 
reserved  manner  than  usual. 

Naturally  the  gossips  began  to  talk  about  Elbert's 
frequent  visits,  and  society  newspapers  hinted  as  to 
the  coming  nuptials  of  the  widow  of  a  well  known  army 
officer  and  a  rising  young  congressman.  Elbert  heard 
of  it,  but  ignored  it,  feeling  that  he  had  found  a  dear 
friend  in  the  tourist  companion  of  former  years,  and 
continued  fluttering  about  the  flame. 

A  few  evenings  later  Elbert  sat  in  Mrs.  Daniels'  par 
lor,  sighing  as  to  the  loneliness  of  his  bachelor  quar 
ters.  He  had  not  forgotten  the  old  trick  of  assuming 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  195 

a  heroic  attitude,  although  he  insisted  that  he  had  no 
inclination  to  be  a  genius  if  he  had  to  go  through  with 
all  the  grief  and  sorrow  that  their  biographies  record. 

"I  sometimes  think  that  I  am  growing  almost  pur 
poseless  in  life,  Mrs.  Daniels." 

"That  is  wrong,"  said  Mrs.  Daniels,  with  a  quizzical 
look  in  her  jet  black  eyes.  "You  need  not  be  so  fright 
fully  alone,"  she  continued,  half  blushing  and  looking 
down. 

He  pretended  not  to  see  the  point  and  went  on 
blindly: 

"But  who  would  care  to — " 

"Elbert,  why  do  you  persist  in  shutting  your  eyes?" 

This  was  a  pretty  declaration  for  Mrs.  Daniels  and 
he  was  fascinated  with  her.  He  looked  straight  into 
her  eyes  for  that  soul  response  which  the  love  message 
from  Veo  had  given  him.  It  was  not  there. 

Bidding  her  good-night,  he  left  Mrs.  Daniels  more 
precipitately  than  gracefully. 


196  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

"And  the  heart  that  is  soonest  awake  to  the  flowers, 
Is  always  the  first  to  be  touched  by  the  thorns." 

— Moore. 

As  Elbert  passed  down  Fifteenth  street  on  his  way 
home  that  night  he  was  very  much  agitated.  He  had 
spent  his  life  in  analyzing  others,  but  had  overlooked 
himself.  There  was  a  hidden  happiness  in  the  thought 
that  he  was  loved.  All  human  beings  desire  to  be  loved; 
but  could  he  marry  again,  and  did  he  love  Mrs.  Dan 
iels?  That  was  the  question.  There  was  certainly  not 
the  same  feeling  toward  her  which  he  had  felt  for  Veo. 
Mrs.  Daniels  was  beautiful,  intellectual  and  inspira 
tional — "A  good  match,"  as  the  gossips  say — and  he 
was  attracted  to  her,  yes,  fascinated.  Yet,  when  his 
yearning  heart  searched  for  that  simple  soul  glance 
of  Veo  it  was  not  there,  and  he  felt  that  something  was 
lacking.  He  wrote  a  hurried  note  to  Mrs.  Daniels  and 
left  the  very  next  day  for  Poplarville.  There  are  some 
things  in  which  the  most  scrupulously  candid  and  hon 
est  men  will  deceive  themselves,  and  like  all  human  be 
ings,  Elbert's  actions  and  ideals  were  often  illogical 
and  inconsistent.  He  was  not  a  coward,  and  yet  he 
felt  that  he  could  not  trust  himself  with  Mrs.  Daniels 
longer  until  he  thoroughly  knew  his  own  heart.  The 
memory  of  their  various  conversations  at  Brussels  and 
at  Bart's  home  came  back  vividly.  If  she  tired  of  one 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  197 

husband,  why  not  another.  It  was  a  struggle  with 
him  all  the  way  home. 

There  was  something  soothing  in  the  quiet  atmos 
phere  of  Poplarville  after  the  distracting  bustle  of 
Washington  life,  and  his  unexpected  arrival  was  quite 
a  surprise. 

"And  my  little  Veo  doesn't  know  papa?" 

"'Es  I  do,  but  'oo  look  so  sorry,  papa,"  said  the 
little  girl  in  a  searching  way. 

There  was  in  the  child's  face  the  old  tender,  sympa 
thetic  look  of  Veo. 

Later  on  Agnes  came  in.  She  seemed  more  radiant 
ly  beautiful  than  ever.  Her  whitening  hair  and  bloom 
ing  cheeks  made  a  striking  contrast.  Her  voice,  gen 
tle  and  low,  yet  firm  and  decisive. 

"Oh,  mamma,  I's  so  happy,"  and  little  Veo  left  her 
father  to  go  to  her  teacher  as  she  entered. 

"Elbert,  I  must  thank  you  for  your  advice  and  assist 
ance;  it  has  quite  made  a  new  woman  of  me." 

"Not  a  real  new  woman,  I  hope,"  he  said  in  mock 
surprise. 

"Oh,  no,"  she  replied,  laughing,  "but  with  these 
children  life  is  so  sweet  and  refreshing.  I  believe  be 
ing  with  them  is  making  an  elderly  person  young 
again." 

"Now,  don't  talk  of  being  an  elderly  person  yet." 

"As  your  school  teacher  I  have  a  right  to  expect  you 
to  respect  my  age,"  she  said,  laughing. 

That  evening  they  were  sitting  alone  together  on  the 
veranda. 


198  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"I  have  something  to  tell  you,"  said  Elbert,  soberly. 
"I  have  come  home  again  for  advice." 

"Well,  as  your  old  teacher,  take  your  seat  and  con 
fess,"  said  Agnes,  pointing  to  a  kindergarten  seat. 

"Indeed  and  it  is  serious;  do  you  remember  this 
Mrs.  Daniels?" 

"Perfectly;   I  have  cause  to." 

"She  entertains  famously  at  Washington  and  has 
contributed  to  my  success;  I  have  been  frequently  at 
her  home  and  matters  have  become  serious  without  my 
knowing  it.  She  has  made  a  direct  proposal  and  I 
don't  know  what  to  do." 

"  'Um !  a  woman's  privilege,  the  year  is  divisible  by 
four — leap  year." 

"It  came  upon  me  like  a  shock ;  I  ran  away — ran  out 
of  the  house  most  unceremoniously  without  a  word." 

"You  were  always  a  peculiar  boy;  Bart  and  I  some 
times  thought  you  rarely  understood  women." 

"Perhaps  so;  what  shall  I  do,  tell  me  honestly?" 

"Do  you  love  her?" 

"Well,  no;  not  exactly;  something  seems  to  hold  me 
back;  her  audacity  has  shocked  me,  and  yet — 

"There  is  only  one  answer  then;  let  your  heart 
speak  that— 

"My  heart?  It  is  laid  away  with  Veo  yonder.  Yet 
Mrs.  Daniels  is  brilliant — " 

"Think  it  over,  Elbert,  and  your  heart  will — 

"My  heart  says  no." 

"Then  be  true  to  your  heart." 

She  turned  to  him  in  the  pale  moonlight  as  she  said 
these  words,  laying  her  hand  on  his  arm  and  giving 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  199 

him  that  soul-expressive  and  trusting  look  in  her  deep 
blue  eyes,  that  seemed  to  reflect  memories  of  his 
heart's  first  love.  It  fired  him  with  a  suddenly  awak 
ened  impulse. 

"This  moment  it  has  spoken,  Agnes,  my  heart,  Ag 
nes  !"  he  uttered  in  a  voice  quivering  with  emotion,  as 
he  started  to  draw  her  to  him. 

"Elbert,  Elbert,  what  do  you  mean?  You  surely  for 
get,"  she  said,  as  she  drew  away  with  queenly  dignity. 

"Forgive  me,  Agnes,  but  your  eyes  just  now  taught 
me  my  heart.  Crush  me — but  heaven  only  knows  that 
you  are  the  only  woman  I  could  ever  love  again." 

"Elbert,  you  must  be  rational.  I,  your  old  school 
teacher,  your  friend?  I,  who  loved  Veo — why,  reason, 
Elbert." 

"Reason  with  love?  As  well  reason  with  a  whirl 
wind.  Agnes,  it  may  be  wrong  to  say  this  to  you,  but 
I  cannot  help  it,  and  in  you  only  can  I  hope  for  solace 
and  comfort  in  life  since — " 

Agnes  had  turned  very  pale,  and  stood  plucking  the 
leaves  from  the  vine  which  clambered  up  the  veranda 
where  they  were  standing.  She  felt  as  if  she  had  be 
trayed  confidence  and  stolen  love  that  was  not  in 
tended. 

"Elbert,  you  will  say  no  more  about  this,"  she  said, 
turning  to  him.  "It  pains  me;  let  me  continue  your 
friend." 

"Agnes,  it  is  yours  to  command,"  he  said  resignedly. 
"Perhaps  I  chose  a  foolish  time;  perhaps  my  words 
lack  fiery  eloquence;  but  you  told  me  to  let  my  heart 
decide  and  my  he»rt  has  spoken." 


200  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

The  events  naturally  caused  a  more  reserved  atti 
tude  between  them  during  the  remainder  of  Elbert's 
visit,  and  the  scene  on  the  veranda  was  not  referred  to 
by  either  of  them  afterwards.  When  Agues  was  put 
ting  little  Veo  to  bed  that  night  she  said: 

"Mamma  Aggie,  'oo  loves  papa,  don't  'oo?" 

"Yes,  dear,"  she  said,  stroking  her  hair. 

"Mamma  Aggie  will  never  go  away  from  little  Veo, 
will  she?" 

Agnes  kissed  her  for  an  answer,  and  little  Veo  re 
peated  her  usual  prayer:  "Dear  Dod,  bless  mamma  in 
heaven ;  bless  papa — bless — Mamma  Aggie,  'oo's  cry 
ing;  I's  so  sorry,"  said  little  Veo,  looking  up  sud 
denly. 

"Finish  your  prayer,  little  one,"  said  Agnes,  with  a 
reassuring  smile. 


BOSS   BART,   POLITICIAN.  201 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

"Revenge,  at  first  thought  sweet, 
Bitter  ere  long  back  on  itself  recoils." 

—Milton. 

Poplarville  had  gone  a  long  time  without  having  a 
real  sensational  event  when  Shandy  Goff  introduced 
bicycles.  And  it  was  indeed  a  disturbing  element,  and 
the  community  was  especially  shocked  when  Mary 
Jane  Toots  calmly  announced  that  she  was  going  to 
learn  to  ride  the  wheel. 

"Now  that  I  have  bought  it,  land  o'  Goshen,  I  have 
got  to  ride  it,"  she  explained. 

"Come,  Mary  Jane,  I  am  ready  for  that  spin  over 
the  river,"  said  Shandy,  peering  in  at  the  door. 

"I  am  so  frustrated  I  don't  really  know  whether  I  am 
standing  on  my  head  or  my  heels.  It's  like  taking  the 
first  plunge  in  swimming.  Which  foot  do  I  put  on 
first?"  she  cried,  as  she  tried  to  get  on  the  wheel, 
Shandy  holding  her,  and  it  made  a  truly  comic  scene. 

The  news  soon  spread  over  the  village  that  Shandy 
was  teaching  Mary  Jane  to  ride  a  bicycle,  and  while 
they  were  practicing  Abner  and  Jasper  came  up  to 
witness  the  excitement. 

"Just  as  I  expected,"  growled  Abner.  "The  devil's 
uppermost  in  Poplarville  to-day.  No  religion,  no  ven 
eration,  no  politics,  no  nothin'  that's  got  any  sense  in 
it." 


202  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"Just  the  other  way,"  cried  Shandy,  pumping  up  his 
tire.  "Everything  has  grown  better  except  you  and  the 
old  fossils." 

"There,  there,  what  did  I  tell  you,  you  young  calam 
ity  spinner;  wastin'  good  muscle  on  that  darn  thing 
instead  of  plowin'  your  land." 

"Bicycles  are  all  right,  Abner,"  said  Jasper.  "Shandy, 
let  Abner  try-." 

"Me  try!  I'd  sooner  get  on  the  devil's  broom  stick 
and  ride  to  hell  than  touch  the  pesky  critter;  ruining 
the  oat  crops  these  bicycles  are." 

"Mary  Jane,  I  can't  get  reconciled  to  these  bloom 
ers,"  said  Jasper.  "Now  for  the  Turks  it  might  be  all 
right,  but—" 

"Well,  you  must  submit,  I  suppose;  always  said  so," 
said  Dr.  Buzzer,  coming  up. 

"I'm  simply  following  the  edicts  of  hygiene  and 
Fowler  on  Common  Sense,"  she  said,  with  a  sarcastic 
bow  to  Jasper. 

"She's  got  you  there,  Jasper,"  said  the  doctor,  laugh 
ing. 

"I  don't  propose  to  get  killed  by  any  skirts  getting 
around  my  legs,  like  that  woman  in  St.  Louis  the  other 
day,"  said  Mary  Jane,  as  she  zig-zagged  off  like  a 
drunken  kite. 

"Well,  you'd  better  go  to  Turkey,  seein'  that  ye  want 
to  do  as  them  Turkeys  do,"  hollered  Abner  after  her. 

"There's  a  verse  in  Plutarch  that  fits  the  case — " 

"Oh,  Uncle  Jasper,  bicycles  in  Rome?  You're  a 
trifle  off  your  history,"  protested  Shandy. 

"You're  both  fit  for  circus  clowns;  better  hire  to 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  203 

onst.    They  pay  good  wages,  so  I'm  told,"  said  Abner 
in  his  usual  gruff  way. 

"Come,  Mary  Jane,  let's  go  for  another  spin,"  said 
Shandy,  as  she  came  back  to  try  it  again. 

"Yes,  ride  to  the  devil  why  don't  you?"  snarled  Ab 
ner,  as  the  two  started  off. 

"Abner,  it's  no  use;  we  must  keep  pace  with  the 
times,  the  improvements  of  the  age,"  said  the  doctor, 
as  "Snakes"  came  in  hurriedly. 

"Doctor,  my  head  hurts  so — I — mother's  dead,"  she 
said,  as  she  fell  suddenly  forward. 

Jasper  lifted  her  up  and  examined  her  face.  She  had 
fallen  in  a  dead  faint,  striking  her  head  against  the  edge 
of  the  stoop.  Jasper  went  for  water.  The  doctor  lifted 
her  up,  felt  her  pulse,  examined  her  face,  and  saw  her 
eyes  fixed  and  staring. 

They  carried  the  prostrate  form  into  the  house,  lay 
ing  her  upon  a  lounge,  when  the  doctor  made  a  careful 
examination. 

"Compression  of  the  skull,  eh?"  said  the  doctor,  ex 
amining  her  head  with  care.  "What's  this?  An  old 
scar,  depression  of  the  skull.  Damnation,  some  foul 
play  here." 

At  this  time  Abner  broke  in. 

"Oh,  let  the  critter  go.  It  is  nothing;  always  had 
those  spells  when  she  was  young." 

"Abner,  you  know  something  about  this  case." 

"I?    Oh,  no." 

The  doctor  had  opened  his  instrument  case,  and  tak 
ing  out  scissors,  scalpal  and  trepan,  cut  away  "Snakes' "" 
hair. 


204  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"Well,  I'll  quickly  find  out,"  he  said,  working  away 
with  the  instruments,  laying  bare  the  skull.  He  found 
the  inner  table  of  the  skull  depressed. 

"There,  now,  we  will  see  what  we  will  see,"  he  said, 
as  he  gently  bathed  Snakes'  face  and  head.  "Look, 
Abner,  into  her  eyes.  I  have  simply  raised  the  inner 
table  of  the  skull  which  has  been  causing  pressure  on 
the  brain  and  made  poor  Snakes  crazy." 

"No,  thank  ye." 

"Do  as  the  doctor  says,  Abner,"  said  Jasper,  watch 
ing  intently  the  unconscious  girl. 

As  Snakes  slowly  regained  consciousness  and  saw 
Abner,  she  seemed  to  speak  rationally. 

"Take  him  away;  he  did  it;  Uncle  Abner,  I'll  be  a 
good  girl.  I  know  you,  Doctor.  Brother  Bart  went  to 
Chicago  yesterday." 

"Brother  Bart!"  exclaimed  Jasper. 

"Brother  Bart  said  he  would  send  for  me  when  I  was 
ten  years  old." 

"Ten  years  old!  That  was  fifteen  years  ago,"  said 
the  doctor. 

"Tell  us,  Abner,  what  all  this  means,  or  by  the  Eter 
nal,  I'll  put  you  under  lock  and  key,"  said  Jasper,  who 
still  felt  his  dignity  as  justice. 

"Ye  can't;  I've  done  nothing." 

"Speak  man,"  urged  the  doctor. 

"Well,  it's  not  a  long  story  and  I  know  you  like  gos 
sip.  She's  Bart's  half-sister.  That's  true.  Bart's  moth 
er  gave  me  the  mitten  and  sneered  at  me  as  her  father's 
hired  man,  and  I  swore  vengeance.  She  married 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  205 

the  other  fellow.  This  child  was  born  over  in  Pike 
County,  Indiana.  I  stole  it  from  the  mother  in  a  fit  of 
passion  when  she  was  six  years  old.  I  told  Bart  she 
was  dead.  The  mother  believed  me.  I  kept  her  until 
she  was  eight,  then  got  frightened.  A  doctor  over  the 
river  said  he  would  fix  her  for  me  if  I  wanted  her  out 
of  the  way.  I  was  not  quite  the  villain  for  that,  so  he 
said  he'd  take  her  senses  from  her.  He  did.  You 
doctors  are  great  chaps,  anyway." 

"And  so  he  opened  the  skull  and  put  this  pressure 
on  the  brain.  He  trepanned  and  depressed  where  I 
have  elevated.  Poor  Snakes!  Poor  Snakes!"  said  the 
doctor,  shaking  his  head. 

"That  was  when  you  put  her  on  the  county,  eh?  Ab- 
ner — get  out.  I  give  you  one  hour  to  get  bail  or  kill 
yourself.  I  told  you  to  get  $3,000  bail  for  mal-treat- 
ment  and  cruelty.  No  wonder  you — you — there's  noth 
ing  in  Plutarch  to  fit  this  case,"  said  Jasper  in  a  fury. 

"Ye  can't;  ye  can't;  she's  got  her  senses  now  and 
ye  can't  do  nothing." 

"We'll  see;  Abner  come  with  me.  Come,  I  said/* 
said  Jasper,  authoritatively. 

"I  tell  ye,  ye  can't,"  exclaimed  Abner,  hobbling  off 
with  him. 

"I'm  so  happy,  doctor,  I  don't  understand  it,"  said 
Snakes  faintly.  "Yet  I  seem  to  know  something- 
mother,  yes,  mother  must  be  dead.  They  killed  her, 
but  it  seems  so  awful — " 

"Yes,  child,  now  rest  quiet  and  take  care  of  yourself; 
you  may  have  a  happy  life  yet." 


206  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN 

Of  course  the  whole  story  was  soon  known  in  the 
village,  and  created  a  feeling  against  Abner,  which  he 
realized  and  was  discreet  enough  to  leave  the  country 
•quietly  that  night. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  207 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 
I 

"Oh!   my  offense  is  rank,  it  smells  to  heaven, 
It  has  the  primal,  eldest  curse  upon't, 
A  brother's  murder." 

—Hamlet. 

The  even  tenor  of  life  at  the  Poplarville  kindergarten 
was  resumed  after  Elbert  left.  His  visits  always  inter 
fered  to  some  extent  with  the  general  schedule,  as 
Agnes  desired  to  show  him  in  various  ways  the  prog 
ress  made.  Gradually  she  found  herself  preparing  for 
his  visits  with  pleasurable  anticipation,  and  his  ap 
proval  quite  naturally  pleased  her.  The  "Snakes"  sen 
sation  was  told  in  various  ways,  and  Dr.  Buzzer  was 
the  hero  of  the  hour,  with  the  village  gossips. 

That  day  little  Veo,  with  the  spirit  of  inquisitiveness 
characteristic  of  children,  while  left  alone  by  Agnes  in 
her  room,  began  to  rummage  the  desk.  She  was  look 
ing  for  paper  dolls,  and  one  of  her  childish  delights 
was  to  open  sealed  letters  when  her  grandpa  brought 
them.  She  had  seen  her  father  do  it,  and  felt  it  quite 
an  honor  when  he  asked  her  to  open  his  letters.  She 
found  a  letter  in  the  drawer  unopened  and  proceeded 
to  break  the  envelope.  Finding  still  others,  her  busy 
little  hands  continued,  and  the  drawer  fell  out,  over 
turning  the  entire  contents  on  the  floor.  Just  then 
Agnes  came  in. 

"Why,  Veo,  what  are  you  doing?" 


208  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN 

"Mamma  Aggie,  don't  scold,  I  was  des  busy,  and  it 
tipped  up  itself.  I's  so  sorry." 

"But,  my  little  Veo  must  be  more  careful." 

"Is  Mamma  Aggie  so  sorry?" 

"Yes,  dear.  Give  me  the  letters  and  I'll  put  them 
away,  and  then  run  and  have  grandma  get  you  ready 
lor  bed." 

She  kissed  the  sweet  little  face  as  Veo  put  up  her 
lips  for  a  token  of  forgiveness. 

Agnes  then  stooped  to  pick  up  the  remainder  of  the 
papers,  and  among  them  she  caught  sight  of  a  letter 
in  Bart's  handwriting.  She  thought  it  strange  that  it 
should  be  there,  and  yet  it  awakened  old  memories. 
After  putting  away  the  remainder  of  the  packages,  she 
started  to  read  the  letter  by  the  light  of  the  fire.  It 
was  that  hour  after  twilight  when  we  linger  in  reveries 
of  the  past.  The  heading  startled  her: 

Her  heart  almost  stopped  beating  as  she  read  on: 

"Agnes,  forgive  me;  it  was  not  the  blow  of  a  mur 
derer,  but  a  stroke  of  love — love  for  you,  Agnes;  but 
that  love  was  never  returned.  When  you  read  this  I 
will  be  lying  in  my  grave  beside  Wesley,  with  no 
other  monument  than  an  accursed  life." 

Was  she  dreaming?    No.    She  read  on: 

"I  did  not  want  my  death  secret  to  disturb  you  until 
you  were  again  married  and  in  a  happy  home,  where 
you  were  loved  and  returned  that  love.  The  night  be 
fore  your  wedding  was  to  occur  I  met  Wesley  in  the 
office.  He  was  radiantly  happy  in  your  love,  and  was 
counting  the  money  and  drafts,  which  we  had  neglect 
ed  to  deposit  that  day.  I  stood  back  of  him  looking 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  209 

over  his  shoulder,  and  a  wild,  maddening  impulse  came 
upon  me  suddenly  and  I  struck  him  upon  the  head  with 
an  ink  bottle — the  fatal  blow.  It  was  not  a  blow  of 
hate,  but  love.  I  loved  Wesley  and  my  grief  in  his 
death  was  sincere.  I  had  no  impulse  to  conceal  the 
murder,  and  simply  walked  away  and  left  him  dead 
with  the  thought  that  you  would  now  love  me.  Oh,  it 
is  maddening  to  recall  that  night,  and  yet  I  seemed 
then  dead  to  all  remorse  for  the  murderous  act.  It 
did  not  seem  as  if  my  hand  had  killed  him,  but  that 
it  was  the  hand  of  Providence.  Not  one  minute's  med 
itation  was  given  for  the  deed.  I  did  not  even  conceive 
of  the  tragical  consequences.  With  the  stained  hands 
of  Cain  I  sought  to  woo  you,  and  won  your  gratitude, 
which  replaced  your  love.  Oh,  Agnes,  I  dare  not  ask 
for  pity  and  forgiveness,  and  yet  I  knew  not  what  I 
did.  No  human  lips  could  justify  the  deed,  but  when 
I  am  dead,  accursed  writh  a  wrecked  life  and  sleeping 
the  sleep  of  a  murderer,  you  may  pity.  I  write  this 
knowing  that  my  end  is  near.  The  future  is  blank, 
but  death  is  sweet  relief  from  the  hell  I  have  suffered 
all  these  years,  even  in  the  light  of  your  smile. 

"BART." 

Her  impulse  was  to  read  it  again,  thinking  it  a  fright 
ful  dream.  One  more  look  at  the  signature — no,  it  was 
true.  Like  a  flash  she  opened  the  stove  door  and  the 
story  of  Bart  Waldie's  crime  was  burned,  and  yet  even 
on  the  charred  and  burned  papers  the  words  of  his  con 
fession  remained  quite  distinct. 

"Even  fire  does  not  destroy  the  blackness  of  that 


210  BOSS    BART.    POLITICIAN. 

crime.  Oh,  Wesley!  Wesley!"  she  cried  on  her  knees 
before  the  fire.  "Noble  Wesley!  Love  of  my  youth! 
Sacrificed  to  an  ingrate  brother's  passion !"  It  was  the 
crowning  grief  that  seemed  to  tear  her  very  heart 
strings. 

''Why  have  I  to  suffer  so  much?  Oh,  Lord,  teach 
me  to  endure  and  bear  my  burdens  in  patience." 

The  knowledge  of  Bart's  crime  hung  over  her  like  a 
pall. 

"How  can  I  ever  meet  Elbert  again?"  she  moaned. 


BOSS   BARTT,   POLITICIAN.  211 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

"For  taking  the  year  altogether,  my  dear, 
There's  never  more  night  than  day." 

-Holmes. 

Grief  and  worry  always  demand  a  penalty,  and  Ag 
nes  was  taken  very  ill  after  the  terrible  revelation  in 
Bart's  letter.  Her  life  was  despaired  of,  but  Dr.  Buzzer 
insisted  "That  girl's  got  the  grit  to  pull  through,  by 
ginger."  In  her  delirium  Agnes  had  said  things  which 
set  the  tongues  of  the  gossips  to  wagging.  Dr.  Buzzer 
made  a  heroic  attempt  to  stem  the  tide  of  talk  by  giv 
ing  out  various  sufficient  causes  of  her  illness,  but 
the  difficulty  was  that  all  of  his  various  reasons  did 
not  precisely  agree,  and  the  doctor  found  things  grow 
ing  worse  than  if  he  had  said  nothing  at  all.  Just  an 
inkling  of  the  real  truth  began  to  leak  out,  but  it  was 
also  hinted  that  Agnes  had  attempted  to  take  her  life. 

When  she  was  convalescent,  but  a  mere  shadow  of 
her  former  self,  she  heard  of  Elbert's  coming  to  Pop- 
larville. 

"Ask  him  to  remain  away — until  I  am  better,"  was 
her  request  to  his  mother. 

"Why,  Agnes,  what  is  the  matter?  Nothing  could 
keep  Elbert  away  at  such  a  time  as  this." 

Agnes'  reply  was  a  deep  sigh. 

Elbert  was  at  her  bedside  the  next  day,  and  she  im 
plored  him  to  go  away. 


212  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"Agnes,  you  need  not  fear  my  alluding  to  the  scenes 
of  the  last  visit  if  it  pains  you,  but  1  am  your  friend  and 
protector  and  must  insist  upon  staying." 

"Oh,  Elbert,  Elbert,  I  want  to  die,"  she  moaned. 

"My  God,  Agnes,  is  it  true  that — " 

She  divined  his  question,  and  replied,  "No,  Elbert, 
I  did  not  attempt  to  take  the  life  God  gave  me;  that 
would  be  cowardly;  but  I  almost  feel  like  giving  up 
the  struggle." 

"But,  Agnes,  you've  not  told  me  what  the  struggle 
is  all  about." 

"Elbert,  it  is  a  secret  of  the  dead,"  she  replied  faintly. 

"Then  I  must  know.  Agnes  since  you  first  inspired 
hope  and  ambition  in  me,  we've  always  been  honest 
with  each  other." 

"Yes,  until — "  she  said  feebly. 

"Now,  Agnes,  do  not  drive  me  away.  Tell  me  as 
your  friend  and  let  me  help  you,"  he  pleaded. 

"Elbert,  I  am  so  grieved." 

"Agnes,  I  must  know.  You  owe  it  to  me,  and  you've 
done  wrong  to  keep  it  from  me  who  would  have  told 
you  all,"  he  said  almost  sternly. 

"Elbert,  Elbert,  don't  wring  it  from  me,"  she  cried 
piteously. 

"Agnes,  you're  wrecking  more  lives  than  one  by  re 
fusing  me  your  confidence.  I'll  not  betray  you." 

"Elbert,  lean  closer — Bart  was  a  murderer.  He  killed 
Wesley  Walker,  and  I  was  his  wife,"  she  almost  hissed. 

"What's  that!"  he  gasped,  and  he  thought  it  was  fever 
delirium. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  213 

"It  is  true,"  she  continued.  "Now  leave  me  to  my 
sorrow." 

"Agnes!    Agnes!"  cried  Elbert,  bowing  his  head. 

"Bart  left  a  written  confession,  and  I  opened  it  the 
day  you  left  for  Washington,"  continued  Agnes,  as  if 
to  convince  him  of  the  truth. 

"Oh,  Agnes !"  was  all  that  Elbert  could  say,  and  their 
tears  mingled  in  the  silence  that  followed. 

"Agnes,  let  me  share  your  sorrows,"  continued  El 
bert,  "your  life  has  been  so  sad." 

"But  think  of  it,  Elbert.  Think  of  it— Bart  a  mur 
derer,  I  a  murderer's  wife — I  almost  feel  as  if  I  should 
go  mad,"  said  Agnes,  excitedly. 

"Agnes,  you  must  listen.  As  your  pupil  I  obeyed 
you.  Now  you  obey  me.  Wipe  out  the  past  and  let 
me  love  you." 

"Oh,  Elbert,  I  cannot  forget." 

"Agnes,  why  divide  the  ways?  Let  me  love  you. 
My  heart  is  truly  yours.  Our  lives  have  had  their 
mutual  joys  and  sorrows.  Why  should  we  part  now?" 

She  was  silent,  and  Elbert  continued : 

"But,  Agnes,  I  will  not  urge  farther." 

"Mamma  Aggie,  does  'oo  feel  better?"  and  a  little 
curly  head  peeped  in  at  the  door. 

The  old  smile  of  love  was  her  only  response  to  the 
child's  words. 

The  invalid  improved  rapidly,  and  Elbert  felt  now 
that  his  duty  and  honor  required  that  he  insist  upon 
closer  relations,  so  that  he  could  give  Agnes  the  pro 
tection  she  needed.  In  sharing  her  secret  the  reserve 
between  them  had  vanished.  The  presence  of  Elbert 


214  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

seemed  to  comfort  Agnes,  and  yet  her  sensitive  nature 
shrunk  from  him  because  of  the  horrible  revelation 
of  Bart's  confession.  She  feared  that  knowledge  of  her 
sorrow  had  influenced  Elbert  to  reiterate  his  love,  and 
that  he  was  mistaking  sympathy  for  real  affection,  and 
she  decided  that  it  was  wrong  for  her  to  remain  there. 
Ever  since  the  kindergarten  had  opened  and  little  Veo 
had  been  her  especial  charge,  it  had  been  her  uncon 
scious  ambition  to  please  Elbert.  It  now  came  upon 
her  like  the  breaking  of  a  gentle  dawn  that  she  could 
no  longer  remain  merely  Elbert's  friend.  And  his 
wife? — that  could  never  be. 

That  night,  although  scarcely  recovered  from  her 
illness,  she  left  Poplarville,  having  determined  to  find 
a  new  home,  and  break  the  ties  which  she  feared  threat 
ened  to  mar  Elbert's  future. 

She  started  out  again,  alone  in  the  world. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  215 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

"And  a  little  child  shall  lead  them." 

—Holy  Writ. 

The  disappearance  of  Agnes  was  perhaps  the  great 
est  sensation  known  in  Poplarville  since  the  day  when 
Daddy  Doughtoe  blew  his  head  off  with  a  shotgun, 
with  the  exception,  of  course,  of  the  "Snakes"  revela 
tion  and  Abner's  sudden  disappearance.  No  one  could 
assign  any  reason,  except  Dr.  Buzzer,  as  to  why  Agnes 
should  have  left. 

"Overwork  and  wandered  off  in  a  fit  of  melancholy; 
always  said  so." 

The  sensations  seemed  to  come  in  groups,  and  over 
work  is  a  convenient  explanation  of  mysterious  events, 
because  the  affairs  of  the  heart  are  always  disguised 
from  the  vulgar  gaze  of  the  world. 

Elbert  was  alarmed  when  he  remembered  their  con 
versation  the  day  previous,  and  feared  that  in  a  moment 
of  desperation  Agnes  had  taken  her  life.  Every  con 
ceivable  nook  and  corner  where  a  suicide  would 
likely  have  retreated,  was  searched.  The  Pinkertons 
from  Chicago  looked  very  wise  and  said  it  would  take 
time,  and  Elbert  refused  to  return  to  Washington  with 
this  state  of  uncertainty  existing.  Little  Veo  could 
not  understand  it,  and  wandered  about  the  houre, 
clinging  to  her  grandma's  skirts,  piteously  crying, 
"Mamma  Aggie,  Mamma  Aggie."  The  days  passed 


216  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

and  no  word.  Elbert  received  information  of  his  ap 
pointment  to  a  coveted  foreign  mission,  but  it  did  not 
deter  him  from  his  search  for  Agnes.  He  had  about 
given  up  hope  of  her  being  alive,  and  yet  something 
told  him  that  Agnes  was  too  brave  to  give  up  life's 
struggle  in  that  way.  Little  Yco  was  taken  ill  a  few 
days  later, and  in  her  raging  fever  she  continued  calling 
for  "Mamma  Aggie,"  and  every  cry  seemed  to  cut  the 
heart  of  the  father  like  a  knife,  as  he  watched  by  her 
bedside.  Through  the  long  vigils  of  the  night  he  sat, 
hoping  and  hoping  that  that  face  would  appear  to  calm 
the  little  sufferer.  Surely  she  would  not  desert  him  in 
his  hour  of  sorrow  if  she  only  knew.  The  next  day  the 
prosaic  want  column  of  a  leading  Chicago  daily  was 
varied  by  a  strange  notice.  It  seemed  to  tell  a  life  story 
in  itself  and  the  hundreds  looking  over  the  page  for 
help  stopped  and  wondered  as  they  read: 

TEACHER  WANTED— Little  V.  very  low  with  fever; 
calls  "Mamma  Aggie."     Come  quick  or  too  late.     E. 
will  not  be  there. 

Elbert  wrote  it  as  a  last  resort,  little  hoping  for  any 
result.  While  the  fever  abated  somewhat,  the  little  one 
kept  calling  for  "Mamma  Aggie,"  until  he  was  almost 
crazed.  A  few  days  later,  nearly  at  dusk,  when  little 
Veo  was  sleeping  quietly,  Elbert  started  for  a  walk. 
During  his  absence  Agnes  came  to  the  house,  and  she 
was  immediately  taken  to  the  sick  room  by  Mrs.  Ains- 
worth.  When  the  little  one  awoke  and  recognized 
"Mamma  Aggie,"  she  gave  a  feeble  cry  of  joy.  Ag 
nes  sat  and  stroked  her  head,  and  the  little  one  said: 


BOBS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  217 

"I  knew  'oo  would  turn,  Mamma  Aggie,  I  had  such  a 
happy  dream. 

"Now  be  quiet,  dear,"  said  Agnes  softly. 

When  Elbert  returned  his  mother  met  him  and  told 
him  Agnes  was  there. 

"Has  she  asked  for  me?"  he  inquired  breathlessly. 

"No." 

"I  promised  to  stay  away  and  not  molest  her.  Call 
me,  mother,  if  anything  happens." 

Like  an  exile  he  responded  to  the  call  of  a  neigh 
bor's  dinner-bell  for  that  day.  He  felt  content,  and  yet 
miserable.  Word  was  brought  to  him  from  his  mother 
that  Veo  was  improving,  and  it  was  arranged  that  he 
should  call  and  see  her  while  Agnes  was  taking  her 
walk,  on  the  day  that  he  was  to  return  to  Washington. 
He  felt  like  a  thief  as  he  approached  his  home,  but 
when  he  saw  the  sweet,  thin  face  of  Veo  he  forgot  his 
hardships. 

"My  little  girl  has  been  so  ill;  but  she's  all  right 
now,  isn't  she?"  said  the  father,  patting  her  hands. 

"Yes,  papa,  what  did  'oo  bring  me? 

"Bless  your  heart;  your  naughty  papa  forgot  and  will 
go  and — " 

"No,  papa,  I'll  dess  give  'oo  sumfin'  to-night." 

"What  is  it?" 

"Oh,  sumfin'  'oo  like." 

"Can't  I  guess?" 

"No,  sumfin'  I  like,  too." 

"All  right,  I'll  go  to  the  grocery  and  see  what  I  can 
get  for  the  little  girl." 

"No,  papa,  you  des  play  with  me,  hide  and  seek." 


218  BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN. 

"Is  little  Veo  strong  enough?" 

"I's  all  yight,  papa,"  said  Veo. 

"All  right,  you  hide?" 

"No,  no;  'oo  hide,  I'll  blind,"  said  the  child,  clapping 
her  hands  in  glee. 

"But  where?"  he  asked. 

"Oh,  des  anywhere;   in  the  closet,  'hind  the  door." 

"One,  two,  three,  four,  five,  six,  get  in  quick,"  said 
Veo,  blinding  her  eyes  on  the  sofa. 

And  to  humor  her  he  went  into  the  closet.  She 
jumped  up  and  going  to  the  door  of  the  closet  turned 
the  key. 

"Veo,  Veo,  let  me  out,"  he  cried. 

"Des  a  minute,  papa,  des  a  minute." 

"But  I  must  be  ready  to  leave  to-night,"  he  pleaded. 

"All  yight,  papa.  Hush,  hush,"  she  whispered  to  him 
in  a  mysterious  way,  as  she  stood  guard  over  her  pris 
oner. 

Just  then  Agnes  came  into  the  room. 

"Why,  my  little  girl  is  looking  so  well,"  she  said, 
laying  off  her  cloak  and  kissing  her. 

"Mamma  Aggie,  I  love  'oo  so!" 

"Yes,  I  know,  dear.    What  were  you  doing,  pet?" 

"Des  playin',"  and  she  cast  a  furtive  glance  at  the 
closet  door. 

"Mamma  Aggie,  won't  'oo  play  b'ind  man's  buff?" 
she  asked. 

"I'm  afraid  you're  too  tired,  dear." 

"No,  I  isn't,"  remonstrated  the  child. 

"All  right;  put  on  the  blind,"  said  Agnes,  with 
mock  resignation. 


BOSS    BART,    POLITICIAN.  219 

Veo  climbed  up  on  a  chair  and  carefully  tied  the 
kerchief  over  her  eyes,  and  then  cried  in  high  glee, 
"Now  tatch  me,  Mamma  Aggie,  now  tatch  me." 

Agnes  with  groping  hands  approached  Veo,  who 
stood  sentinel  by  the  closet  door.  She  had  turned  the 
key,  and  as  her  prisoner  stepped  out,  Agnes,  in  grop 
ing  for  the  child,  put  her  hands  upon  him. 

"Elbert,"  she  cried,  startled,  taking  off  the  kerchief. 

"Blind,  but  now  you  see,  Agnes,"  he  said,  taking 
her  in  his  arms.  "Agnes!  my  own  heart,  Agnes!"  he 
cried,  not  waiting  a  response. 


•"7      A 


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